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THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


< ' 


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Frontispiece — Arkansaw Bear. 

“ ‘YOU CAN CALL ME RATIO, TOO, SEE?’ ” 


See p. 2j. 


■ T H E ======= 

ARKANSAW BEAR 

A Tale of Fanciful Adventure 


Told in Song and Story by 
ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE 


In Pictures by 
FRANK VER BECK® 



HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 


ov 


f ’2-'^ (\v> 


THE LlbRARV OF 
CONGRESS. 

Two Copies Receiver! 

JAN 56 1 903 

Copyright Entry 

ZO-'izt'l' 

CLASS a XXc. No. 

If U- S' r 5 
COPY B. 


Copyright, 1898, by Robert Howard Russell. 


Copyright, 1902, by Henry Altemus. 


a ® c * < <. * c 


The Arkansaw Bear. 


2>eMcation 

TO MASTER FRANK VER BECK, 

FOR WHOSE 

BEDTIME ENTERTAINMENT 
THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


FIRST PERFORMED 



CONTENTS 


I. The Meeting of Bosephus and Horatio 

II. The First Performance .... 

III. Horatio and the Dogs 

IV. The Dance of the Forest People 

V. Good-bye to Arkansaw 

VI. An Exciting Race . . . . 

VII. Horatio’s Moonlight Adventure . 

VIII. Sweet and Sour 

IX. In Jail at Last 

X. An Afternoon’s Fishing . 

XI. The Road Home 

XII. The Bear Colony at Last. The Parting of 


PAGB 

15 

39 

57 

77 

95 

hi 

133 

153 

175 

193 

213 


Bosephus and Horatio . 


(ix) 


237 




ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

il ‘You can call me Ratio, too, see?’ ” . Frontispiece. 

“ His blood turned cold ” 19 

“ ‘Maybe you can play it yourself, eh?’ ” . . . .23 

“ 1 We can play and sing as we go ’ ” 33 

“ ‘ Once more Bo, once more !’ ” 43 

“ ‘ Run zigzag, Bo ! and don’t drop the melon’ ” . . 47 

“Ina second more he was playing and dancing ” . .51 

“ Horatio paused and listened ” 63 

“Bo made at them with his stick ” 67 

“Horatio sat astride a big limb” 71 

“‘Let’s count the money, Bo’” 81 

“ Other friends slipped into the magic circle ” . . .89 

“He fell headlong into a clump of briars” . . . 103 

“The negroes patted and danced crazily ” . . . 108 

“The little boy and the big Bear slept soundly ” . . 115 

“Horatio lay clawing the air wildly” .... 121 
“ ‘ Horatio ! Our money ! It is gone !”’ . . . . 125 

“ The fat fugitive leaped into the river ” .... 129 

“ ‘ These little darky babies are very — amusing ’ ” . . 137 

(xi) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

“ Every little way he paused ” 141 

“ Horatio was between him and the cabins ” . . 145 

“ He bit it in half cheerfully ” 161 

“The Bear dashed past, striking at the swarm ” . .167 
“ His eyes and nose were swollen in great knots ” . . 171 

“‘Is my hat becoming, Bo?’” 179 

“‘Shed them clothes or I’ll shoot !’ ” .... 183 

“Horatio on the bank was still shouting ” . . . 201 

“ ‘ Hold on to the end of the log !’ ” shouted Bo . . 205 

“‘Sing, Horatio! It’s your turn to sing !’ ” . . . 209 

“ ‘ Minda your own biz ’ ” 219 

“A half naked man was disappearing over the hill ” . 229 

“ ‘ Right about ! Ready ! March !’ ” . . . . 233 

“Bosephus at first enjoyed it immensely ” . . . 243 

“ The poor Bear wept on the little boy’s shoulder” . . 247 

“And they traveled on forever” 253 

(xii) 


" Oh, ’twas down in the woods of the Arkansaw, 
And the night was cloudy and the wind was 
raw, 


as - 1 



t* . . 










“T 1 — — bbd 

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l 



And he did n’t have a bed and he did n’t have 
a bite, 

And if he had n’t fiddled he ’d ’a’ traveled all 
night.’ ’ 



THE MEETING OF BOSEPHUS 
AND HORATIO 








































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


CHAPTER I 


THE MEETING OF BOSEPHUS AND HOEATIO 




_ . 1 








r- 




“ Oh, ’t was down in the woods of the Arkansaw, 
And the night was cloudy and the wind was raw, 


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And he did n’t have a bed and he did n’t have 
a bite, 

And if he had n’t fiddled he’d ’a’ traveled all 
night.” 

B OSEPHUS paused in his mad flight to 
listen. Surely this was someone play- 
ing the violin, and the tune was familiar^ 
He listened more intently. 


2. — Arkansaw Bear 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ But he came to a cabin and an old gray man, 

And says he, ‘Where am I going? Now tell 
me if yon can — ’ ” 

It was the “ Arkansaw Traveler/’ and close 
at hand. The little hoy tore hastily through 
the brush in the direction of the music. The 
moon had come up, and he could see* quite well, 
but he did not pause to pick his way. As he 
stepped from the thicket out into an open space 
the fiddling ceased. It was bright moonlight 
there, too, and as Bosephus looked, his blood 
turned cold. 

In the center of the open space was a large 
tree. Backed up against this tree, and looking 
straight at the little boy, with fiddle in position 
for playing and uplifted bow, was a huge Black 
Bear ! 

Bosephus looked at the Bear, and the Bear 
looked at Bosephus. 

“ Who are you, and what are you doing 
here ?” he roared. 


18 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ I — I am Bo-se-Bosephus, an’ I — I g-guess 
I ’m 1— lost 1 ” gasped the little boy. 



“HIS BLOOD TURNED COLD.” 


“ Guess you are !” laughed the Bear, as he 
drew the bow across the strings. 

“ An-an’ I have n’t had any s-supper, either/’ 

19 



THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Neither have I !” grinned the Bear, “ that 
is, none worth mentioning. A young rabbit or 
two, perhaps, and a quart or so of blackberries, 
but nothing real good and strengthening to fill 
up on.” Then he regarded Bosephus reflect- 
ively, and began singing as he played softly : — 

“ Oh, we ’ll have a little music first and then some 
supper, too, 

But before we have the supper we will play the 
music through.” 

“ No hurry, you know. Be cool, please, and 
don’t wiggle so.” 

But Bosephus, or Bo, as he was called, was 
very much disturbed. He could see there was 
no prospect of supper for anybody but the Bear. 

“ You ’ll forget all about supper pretty soon,” 
continued The Bear, fiddling. 

“ You ’ll forget about your supper — you ’ll forget 
about your home — 

You ’ll forget you ever started out in Arkan- 
saw to roam.” 


20 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ My name is Horatio,” lie continued. 
“ Called Ratio, for short. But I don’t like it. 
Call me Horatio, in full, please.” 

“ Oh, ye-yes, sir !” said Bo, hastily. 

“ See that you don’t forget it !” grunted the 
Bear. “I don’t like familiarity in my guests. 
But I am getting away from the song I was 
singing when you came tearing out of that 
thicket. Seems like I never saw anybody in 
such a hurry to see me as you were. 

“ Now the old man sat a-fiddling by the little cabin 
door, 

And the tune was pretty lively, and he played 
it o’ er and o’ er ; 

And the stranger sat a-list’ ning and a-wond’ring 
what to do, 

As he fiddled and he fiddled, but he never 
played it through.” 

Bo was very fond of music, and as Horatio 
drew from the strings the mellow strains of 
“ The Arkansaw Traveler ” he forgot that both 


21 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


lie and the Bear were hungry. He could dance 
very well, and was just about to do so as the 
Bear paused. 

“ Why don’t you play the rest of that tune, 
Horatio ?” he asked, anxiously. 

“ Same reason the old man did n’t !” growled 
the Bear, still humming the air, 

“ Oh, raddy -daddy dum — daddy dum — dum — 
dum — ” 

“ Why !” continued Bo, “ that’s funny !” 

“ Is it ?” snorted Horatio ; “ I never thought 
so!” 

u Then the stranger asked the fiddler , 1 Won’t you 
play the rest for me ?’ 

1 Don’t know it,’ says the fiddler ; ‘ Play it for 
yourself !’ says he — ” 

“ Maybe you can do what the stranger did, 
Bosephus — maybe you can play it yourself, 
eh?” grunted the huge animal, pausing and 
glowering at the little boy. 


22 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“Oh, no, sir — I — I — that is, sir, I can only 
wh-wliistle or s-sing it !” trembled Bo. 

“ What !” 

“Y-yes, sir. I — ” 



MAYBE YOU CAN PLAY IT YOURSELF, EH?’” 


“You can sing it ?” shouted the Bear, joy- 
fully, and for once forgetting to fiddle. “You 
don’t say so !” 

“ Why, of course !” laughed Bo ; “ everybody 
in Arkansaw can do that. It goes this way : — 

23 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



‘ ‘ Then the stranger took the fiddle, with a ridy- 
diddle-diddle, 

And the strings began to jingle at the tingle of 
the bow, 



While the old man sat and listened, and his 
eyes with pleasure glistened, 

As he shouted ‘ Hallelujah ! And hurray — for 
—Joe !’ ” 

When Bo had finished, Horatio stood per- 
fectly still for some moments in astonishment 
and admiration. Then he came up close to the 
little boy. 

“ Look here, Bo,” he said, “ if you ’ll teach 
me to play and sing that tune, we T1 forget all 
about that sort o’ personal supper I was plan- 
ning on, and I ’ll take you home all in one 
piece. And anything you want to know I ’ll 
24 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


tell you, and anything I ’ve got, except the 
fiddle, is yours. Furthermore, you can call me 
Ratio, too, see ? 

1 Oh, ridy-diddle-diddle — ■’ 

how does it go ? Give me a start, please.” 

Bo brightened up at once. He liked to teach 
things immensely, and especially to ask ques- 
tions. 

“ Why, of course, Ratio,” he said, conde- 
scendingly ; “ I shall be most happy. And I 
can make up poetry, too. Ready, now : — 

I am glad to be the teacher of this kind and 
gentle creature, 

Who can play upon the fiddle in a — ” 

“Wait, Bo! wait till I catch up!” cried 
Horatio, excitedly. “ Now !” 

“Hold on, Ratio. I want to ask a ques- 
tion !” 

“ All right ! Fire away ! I could n’t get 
any further anyhow.” 


25 


“Well,” said Bo, “I want to know how you 
ever learned to play the fiddle.” 

Horatio did not reply at first, but closed his 
eyes reflectively and drew the bow across the 
strings softly. 

“ Oh, raddy- daddy dum — daddy dum — dum — 
dum — 

“ I took a course of lessons,” he said, presently, 
“ but it is a long story, and some of it is not 
pleasant. I think we had better go on with the 
music now : — 

“ Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, 

Went out into the woods when the moon was 
getting low, 

And he met an Old Bear who was hungry for a 
snack, 

And his folks are still awaiting for Bosephus 
to come back.” 

“ Go right on with the rest of it,” said Bo, 
hastily. 


26 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ For the boy became the teacher of this kind and 
gentle creature, 

Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skilful 
way.” 

“ But I say, Ratio,” interrupted Bo again, 
“ how did it come you never learned to play the 
second part of that tune ?” 

Horatio scowled fiercely at first, and then 
once more grew quite pensive. He played list- 
lessly as he replied : — 

“Ah,” he said, “ my teacher was — was unfor- 
tunate. He taught me to play the first part of 
that tune. He would have taught me the rest 
of it — if he had had time.” 

Horatio drew the bow lightly across the 
strings and began to sing, in a far-away 
voice : — 

“ Oh, there was an old man, and his name was 
Jim, 

And he had a pet bear who was fond of 
him ; 


27 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


But the man was very cruel and abusive to his 
pet, 

And one day his people missed him, and they 
have n’t found him yet. ” 

“Oh!” said Bo; “and w-what happened, 
Horatio ?” 

Horatio paused and dashed away a tear. 

“It happened in a lonely place,” he said, 
chewing thoughtfully, “a lonely place in the 
woods, like this. We were both of us tired and 
hungry, and he grew impatient and beat me. 
He also spoke of my parents with disrespect, 
and in the excitement that followed he died.” 

“ Oh !” said Bo. 

“ Yes,” repeated Horatio, “ he died. He was 
such a nice man — such a nice, fat Italian man, 
and so good while — while he lasted.” 

“ Oh !” said Bo. 

Horatio sighed. 

“ His death quite took away my appetite,” 
he mused. “ I often miss him now, and long 
28 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


for some one to take his place. I kept this 
fiddle, though, and he might have been teaching 
me the second part of that tune on it now if his 
people had n’t missed him — that is, if he had n’t 
been impatient, I mean.” 

“ Oh, Ratio !” said Bo, “ I will teach you the 
tune all through ! And I will never be the 
least bit impatient or — or excited. Are you 
ready to begin, Ratio?” 

“ All ready ! Play.” 

“ Oh, it ’s fine to be the teacher of a kind and 
gentle creature 

Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skilful 
way ; 

And I ’ll never, never grieve him, and I ’ll 
never, never leave him, 

Till I hear the rooster crowing for the break 
— of — day.” 

“ That was very nice, Bo, very nice indeed !” 
exclaimed Horatio, as they finished. “Now, 1 
am going to tell you a secret.” 

29 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Oh !” said Bo. 

“ I have a plan. It is to start a colony for 
the education and improvement of wild bears. 
But first I am going to travel and see the world. 
I have lived mostly with men and know a good 
deal of their taste — tastes, I mean — and have 
already traveled in some of the States. After 
my friend, the Italian, was gone, I tried to carry 
out his plans and conduct our business alone. 
But I could only play the first part of that 
tune, and the people would n’t stand it. They 
drove me away with guns and clubs. So I came 
back to the woods to practice and learn the rest 
of that music. My gymnastics are better — 
watch me.” 

Horatio handed Bo his fiddle and began a 
most wonderful performance. He stood on his 
head, walked on his hands, danced on two feet, 
three feet, and all fours. Then he began and 
turned somersaults. Bo was delighted. 

“ It was n’t because you could n’t play and 

30 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


perforin well enough !” he cried, excitedly. 
“It was because you went alone, and they 
thought you were a crazy, wild bear. If I could 
go along with you we could travel together over 
the whole world and make a fortune. Then we 
could buy a big swamp and start your colony. 
What do you say, Ratio ? I am a charity boy, 
and have no home now anyway ! We can make 
a fortune and see the world !” 

At first Ratio did not say anything. Then 
he seized Bo in his arms and hugged him till 
the boy thought his time had come. The Bear 
put him down and held him off at arm’s length, 
joyously. 

“ Say,” he shouted. “ Why, I say that you 
are a boy after my own heart! We ’ll start at 
once ! I ’ll take you to a place to-night where 
there are lots of blackberries and honey, and to- 
morrow we will set forth on our travels. Here 
’s my hand as a pledge of safety as long as you 
keep your word. You mean to do so, don’t you ?” 

3i 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Oh, yes,” said Bo. 

“ And now for camp. We can play and sing 
as we go.” 

As the little boy took Horatio’s big paw he 
ceased to be even the least bit afraid. He had 
at last found a strong friend, and was going 
forth into the big world. He had never been 
so happy in his life before. 

“ All right, Ratio !” he shouted. “ One, two, 
three, play !” 

And Ratio gave the bow a long, joyous 
scrape across the strings, and thus they began 
their life together — Bosephus whistling and the 
Bear playing and singing with all his might 
the pleasing strains of “ The Arkansaw Trav- 
eler”:— 

“ Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, 
Went ont into the woods when the moon was 
getting low, 

And he had n’t had his supper, and his way he 
did n’t know, 


32 



3 . — Arkansaw Bear 


33 






































































































































































































































































































































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


So he did n’t have a bite to eat nor any place 
to go. 

Then he heard the ridy-diddle of Horatio and 
his fiddle, 

And his knees began to tremble as he saw him 
standing there ; 

Now they ’ll never, never sever, and they ’ll 
travel on forever — 

Bosephus, and the fiddle, and the Old — Black — 
Bear.” 


35 




THE FIRST PERFORMANCE 
























































•• 






















CHAPTER II 


THE FIRST PERFORMANCE. 



“ Oh, ’t was down in the woods of the Arkansaw 
I met an Old Bear with a very nimble paw ; 



He could dance and he could fiddle at the only 
tune he knew, 

And he fiddled and he fiddled, but he never 
played it through.” 

B O was awake first, and Horatio still lay 
sound asleep. As the boy paused, the 
Bear opened one eye sleepily and 
reached lazily toward his fiddle, but dropped 
39 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


asleep again before liis paw touched it. They 
had found a very cosy place in a big heap of 
dry leaves under some spreading branches, and 
Horatio, though fond of music, was still more 
fond of his morning nap. Bosephus looked at 
him a moment and began singing again, in the 
same strain : — 

“ Then there came a little boy who could whistle 
all the tune, 

And he whistled and he sang it by the rising 
of the moon ; 

And he whistled and he whistled, and he sang 
it o’er and o’er, 

Till Horatio learned the music that he never 
learned before. ” 

The Bear opened the other eye, and once 
more reached for his fiddle. This time he got 
hold of it, but before his other paw touched the 
bow he was asleep again. Bo waited a moment. 
Then he suddenly began singing the other part 
of the tune : — 


40 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



“ Yes, he learned it all so neatly and he played 
it all so sweetly 

That he fell in love completely with the hoy 
without a home; 



And he said, 1 No matter whether it is dark or 
sunny weather, 

We will travel on together till the cows — 
come — home.’ ” 

Before Bosephus finished the first two 
lines of this strain Horatio was sitting up 
straight and fiddling for dear life. 

“ Once more, Bo, once more ! ” he shouted, 
as they finished. 

They repeated the music, and Horatio 
turned two handsprings without stopping. 

“ Now,” he said, “ we will go forth and 
conquer the world.” 


4i 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ I could conquer some breakfast first,” 
said Bo. 

“ Do you like roasting ears ?” 

“ Oh, yes,” said Bo. 

“ Well, I have an interest in a little 
patch near here — that is, I take an interest, 
I should say, and you can take part of mine, 
or one of your own, if you like. It really 
does n’t make any difference which you do, 
just so you take it before the man that 
planted it gets up.” 

“ Why,” exclaimed the boy, as they came 
out into a little clearing, “ that is old Zack 
Todd’s field!” 

“It is, is it? Well, how did old Zack 
Todd get it, I ’d like to know.” 

“ Why — why, I don’t know,” answered Bo, 
puzzled. 

“ Of course not,” said the Bear. “And 
now, Bosephus, let me tell you something. 
The bears owned that field long before old 
42 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Zack Todd was ever thought of. We ’re just 
renting it to him on shares. This is rent 
day. We don’t need to wake Zack up. You 
get over the fence and hand me a few of 



“‘ONCE MORE. BO, ONCE MORE.’” 


the best ears you can get quick and handy, 
and you might bring one of those water- 
melons I see in the corn there, and we ’ll 
find a quiet place that I know of, and 
have our breakfast.” 


43 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bo hopped lightly oyer the rail fence, and, 
gathering an armful of green corn, handed 
it to Horatio. Then he turned to select a 
melon. 

“ Has Zack Todd got a gun, Boseplius ?” 
asked the Bear. 

“ Yes, sir-ee. The best gun in Arkansaw, 
and he ’s a dead shot with it.” 

“ Oh, he is ! Well, maybe you better not 
be quite so slow picking out that melon. 
Just take the first big one you see and 
come on.” 

“ Why, Zack would n’t care for us collect- 
ing rent, would he?” 

“ Well, I don’t know. You see, some 
folks are peculiar that way. Zack might 
forget it was rent day, and a man with a 
bad memory and a good gun can’t be trusted. 
Especially when he *s a dead shot. There, 
that one will do. Never mind about leaving 
a receipt — we ’ll mail it to him.” 


44 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bo scrambled back over the fence with the 
melon, and hastened as fast as he could after 
Horatio, who was already moving across the 
clearing with his violin under one arm and 
the green ears under the other. 

“ Wait, Ratio,” called the little boy. “This 
melon is heavy.” 

“ Is that a long-range gun, Bo ?” called back 
the Bear. 

“ Carries a mile and a half.” 

“ Can’t you move up a little faster, Bo ? I’m 
afraid, after all, that melon is bigger than we 
needed.” 

The boy was fat and he panted after his huge 
companion. 

Suddenly there was a sharp report, and 
Bosephus saw a little tuft of fur fly from one 
of his companion’s ears. Horatio dodged fran- 
tically and dropped part of his corn. 

“ Run zigzag, Bo !” he called, “ and don’t 
drop the ifteloa, Run zigzag. He can’t hit you 
45 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


so well then,” and Horatio himself began such 
a performance of running first one way and 
then the other that Bo was almost obliged to 
laugh in spite of their peril. 

“ Is this what you call conquering the world, 
Ratio?” he called. Then, as he followed the 
Bear’s example, he caught a backward glimpse 
out of the corner of his eye. 

“ Oh, Ratio, the whole family is after us. 
Zack Todd, and old Mis’ Todd, and Jim, and 
the girls.” 

“ How many times does that gun shoot ?” 

“ Only once without loading.” 

“ Muzzle loader ?” 

“ Yep,” panted Bo. “ Old style.” 

“ Good ! Hold on to that melon. We’ll get 
to the woods yet.” 

Rut Horatio was mistaken, for just as they 
dashed into the edge of the timber, with the 
pursuers getting closer every moment, right in 
front of them was a high barbed-wire fence 
46 

















* 
































* 























* 


0 





THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


which the Todd family had built around the 
clearing but a few days before. The Bear 
dropped his corn, and the boy, with some haste, 
put down the melon. They then turned. The 
Todd family was entering the woods — old 
Zack and the gun in front. He had loaded it, 
and was putting on the cap as he ran. 

“ What shall we do, Bo ? what shall we do 
now ?” groaned Horatio. 

They were in a fix, sure enough. Their 
enemy was upon them, and in a moment more 
the deadly gun would be leveled. Suddenly a 
bright thought occurred to Bo. 

“ I know,” he shouted ; “ dance, Horatio ! 

dance !” 

Horatio still had his fiddle under his arm. 
He threw it into petition and ran the bow over 
the strings. In a second more he was playing 
and dancing, and Bo was singing as though it 
were a matter of life and death, which, perhaps, 
it was : — 


4. — Arkansaw Bear 


49 




THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



“ Oh, there was a fine man and a mighty fine 
gun 

And a Bear that played the fiddle and a boy 
that could n’t run, 



And the boy was named Bosephus and Horatio 
was the Bear, 

And they could n’t find a bite to eat for 
breakfast anywhere.” 

The Todd family stood still at this unex- 
pected performance and stared at the two mu- 
sicians. Old man Todd leaned his gun against 
a tree. 

“ Now they could n’t buy their breakfast for their 
money all was spent, 

So they dropped into a cornfield to collect a 
little rent ; 


50 




5i 

























































































































































































































- 



























































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 

But they only took a melon and an ear of corn 
or so, 

And were going off to eat them where the butter 
blossoms grow.” 

The Todd family were falling into the swing 
of the music. Old Mis' Todd and the girls 
were swaying back and forth and the men were 
beating time with their feet. Suddenly Bose- 
phus changed to the second part of the tune. 



“But the old man got up early with a temper 
rather surly, 


And he chased them with his rifle and to catch 
them he was bound ; 



Till he heard the ridy-diddle of Horatio and 
his fiddle, 

Then he shouted, ‘ Hallelujah, girls, and all — 
hands — ’round !’ ” 


53 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The first line of this had started the Todd 
family. Old Zack swung old Mis’ Todd, and 
Jim swung the girls. Then all joined hands 
and circled to the left. They circled around 
Bosephus and Horatio, who kept on with the 
music, faster and faster. Then there was a 
grand right and left and balance all — every 
one for himself — until they were breathless and 
could dance no more. Horatio stopped fiddling 
and when old man Todd could catch his breath 
he said to Bo : — 

“ Look a-liere ; that Bear of yours is a whole 
show by himself, and you ’re another. Anybody 
that can play and sing like that can have any- 
thing I ’ve got. There ’s my house and there ’s 
my cornfield ; help yourselves.” 

Bo thanked him and said that the corn and 
the melon already selected would do for the 
time. To please them, however, he would take 
up a modest collection. He passed his hat and 
received a silver twenty-five cent piece, a spool 
54 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


of thread with a needle in it, a one-bladed jack- 
knife, and two candy hearts with mottoes on 
them — the last being from the girls, who 
blushed and giggled as they dropped them in. 
Then he said good-by, and the Todd family 
showed them a gate that led into the thick 
woods. As the friends passed out of sight and 
hearing Bosephus paused and waved his hand- 
kerchief to the girls. A little later Horatio 
turned to him and said, gravely : 

“ That is what I call conquering the world, 
Bosephus. We began a little sooner and more 
abruptly than I had expected, but it was not 
badly done, and, all things considered, you did 
your part very well, Bosephus ; very well 
indeed.” 


55 






























• / 



















HORATIO AND THE DOGS 




CHAPTER III 


HORATIO AND THE DOGS 



11 Blossom on the bough and bird on the limb — 
Old Black Bear sits a-grinning at him ; 



Sawing on his fiddle and a-grinning at the jay — 
Grinning as he saws the only tune that he can 


play.” 

H OEATIO leaned back against the tree 
and played lazily. Bosephus lay 
stretched full length on the leaves, 
following idly with any words that happened 
to fit the strain. A blue jay just over their 
59 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


heads bobbed up and down on a limber branch, 
waiting for them to go. The Bear took up the 
song as the boy paused : — 

‘ ‘ Boy on the bank and bird on the tree — 

Bird keeps a-bobbing and a-blinking at me ; 

Bobbing and a-blinking, and a-waiting for a 
bite — 

Has n’t had a thing to eat since late — last — 
night.” 

“ I say, Ratio,” interrupted Bo. “ Suppose 
we move on and give Mr. Jay Bird a chance?” 

Horatio grunted and rose heavily. After 
their adventure with the Todd family they had 
come to a pleasant spot in the woods by a clear 
stream of water. Bo, who had some matches 
in his pocket, had kindled a fire and roasted 
some of the corn, much to the disgust of 
Horatio, who did not like fire, and asked him 
why he did not roast the watermelon, too, while 
he was about it. Then they had eaten their 
breakfast together and taken a brief rest before 
60 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


setting forth again on their travels. A jay 
bird was waiting to peck the gnawed ears 
and melon rinds. He stared at the strange pair 
as they strolled away through the trees, the 
Bear still playing his favorite melody. 

“ Ratio,” said Bo, pausing suddenly, “ what 
is that I hear scurrying through the bushes 
every now and then ?” 

“ Friends of mine, likely. ” 

“ Friends ? What friends ?” 

“ Oh, everything ’most. Wild cats, wolves, 
foxes, and a few wild bears, maybe.” 

“ Wild cats ! Bears ! Wolves !” 

“ Why, yes. Often when I play in the moon- 
light they come out and dance for me.” 

“ Oh !” said Bo. 

“ I have them all dancing together, some- 
times. I’ll have them dance for you before 
long.” 

“ Oh, Batio, will you ?” 

“ Yes. It ’s a lot of fun, but there ’s no money 
61 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


in it, and that ’s what we he after now, Bo. 
We he going to buy that swamp, you remember, 
and start that bear colony.” 

Bosephus was about to reply when Horatio 
paused and listened. There was the distant 
sound of dogs barking. 

“ Hello !” said Bo. We ’re coming to some- 
where. Now we ’ll give our first regular per- 
formance. Come on, Batio !” 

Horatio hesitated. 

“ How many dogs do you suppose there are, 
Bo ?” he asked, anxiously. 

“ About a dozen, I should think, bis: and 
little.” 

“ Little dogs, Bo ? Little yapping, snapping 
dogs ?” 

“ That ’s what it sounds like, and some hounds 
and a big dog or two. You don’t mind dogs, 
do you ?” 

“ Oh, no, not in the least ; but it ’s most too 
soon after breakfast to give a performance, 
62 



“HORATIO PAUSED AND LISTENED.” 


63 





THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


and, besides, all that noise would spoil the 
music.’’ 

But the little boy, who still had in his 
pocket the two candy hearts that had been 
given to him by the Todd girls, walked ahead 
proudly. 

“ You trust to me !” he said, flourishing a large 
stick. “ I ’ll stop their noise pretty quick. I ’m 
not afraid of dogs !” 

The Bear followed some steps behind, looking 
ahead warily. 

“ I’m not afraid, either, you know,” he said, 
anxiously. “ Only when there are so many of 
them they get me mixed up on my notes, and 
one of them once had the ill manners to nip 
quite a piece out of my left hind leg.” 

Presently they came into an open space and 
jflump upon a little cross-roads village. A gang 
of dogs gamboled upon the common, chasing 
stray geese and barking loudly. Horatio 
paused. 

5 ■ — Ar kart saw Bear £)Z 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Come back, Bo,” lie whispered. “ There’s 
no money in that crowd.” 

But Bosephus was already some distance 
ahead, stick in hand, and the dogs had spied 
him. They ceased barking for a moment, and 
two or three of the larger ones ran away. Then 
the little dogs began yelping again and came on 
in a swarm. Bo made at them with his stick, 
but they dodged past him, and in a moment 
more were circling and snapping around Hora- 
tio, who was waving his violin wildly with one 
paw and slapping like a man killing mosquitoes 
with the other. 

“ Quick, Bo !” he shouted. “ Quick ! Help ! 
Murder!” 

The little boy wanted to laugh, but ran up 
instead and began striking among the bevy of 
dogs that were torturing his friend. Some of 
them howled and ran off a few paces. Then 
they came flocking back. Suddenly Horatio 
thrust his violin into Bo’s hand and ran swiftly 
66 
























































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


toward a large tree a few yards distant. The 
curs followed and jumped high into the air 
after him as he scrambled up to the lower 
limbs. 

Bosephus hurried after them and struck at 
them so fiercely with his club that they ran 
yelping away. A number of villagers, attracted 
by the commotion, were now appearing from all 
quarters. 

“ Here come the people, Ratio, ” said Bo, grin- 
ning. “ Now we can perform.” 

“ All right, Bo,” whispered the Bear, “ but if 
you’ll kindly hand me up that fiddle I believe 
I ’ll perform right where I am.” 

The boy passed up the violin and the Bear 
struck a few notes. By this time the people had 
collected. There was a blacksmith with a leather 
apron, and a painter with all colors of paint on 
his clothes. Behind them there came a woman 
with dough on her hands and another carrying 
a baby. Other men and women followed in 
69 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


the procession, and a dozen or so children of 
all ages. They halted a little way from the 
tree and stood staring. Horatio sat astride a 
big limb and commenced playing. Suddenly 
the boy threw back his head and began to 
sing : — 

“ Oh, the dogs barked loud and the dogs barked 
low 

At an Old Black Bear and a boy named Bo. 

And the boy stood still and the Bear climbed 
the tree, 

While the people came a-running to see what 
they could see.” 

The children drew up close at the first line 
and held their breath to listen. As the boy 
paused they shouted and screamed with laugh- 
ter at the sight of Horatio fiddling in the forks 
of the tree. The dogs sat in a row and howled 
plaintively. 

“ Sing some more,” cried the woman with the 
baby ; “ it amuses my little Joey.” 

70 



7i 







































































































































































— 














































































~ 

















THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Yes, the people came to see them, and the dogs 
they ran away, 

And the boy began to sing and the Bear began 
to play, 

Till it tickled all the children and it made the 
baby crow, 

And it set the people dancing till they jumped 
— Jim — Crow.” 

“ More ! more !” shouted the people as they 
formed into cotillions and reels. “ Sing us some 
more !” 



“ Oh, the ridy-diddle-diddle of Horatio and his 
fiddle, 


And the singing of Bosephus they had never 
heard before ; 







h 

• 

&! 

> 







And it set them all to spinning, and the music 
was so winning 


That they wined them and they dined them 
until half-past four!” 

73 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Wait ! wait !” called tlie woman with the 
baby under her arm, “ I’m all out of breath.” 

“ No, no !” shouted the children and all the 
others. “ Go on ! Go on !” 

So once more and yet another time the happy 
musicians repeated their performance, and then 
Bo politely passed his hat to the dancers. When 
he had been to each one his hat was heavy with 
many useful articles and some money. 

“ Bring your Bear down out of the tree,” said 
the blacksmith, “ and we will give you a feast 
on the common.” 

Bo beckoned to Horatio to climb down, but 
the big fellow hesitated. 

The thought of a feast, however, was too much 
for him. 

That night, when they had both danced again 
for the people and Horatio had given them an 
acrobatic exhibition, they strolled away through 
the evening loaded down with luxuries of all 
kinds. The villagers went with them to the 
74 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


outskirts, and called good luck after them. As 
they passed into the quiet shadows of the forest 
they once more heard the barking of dogs in 
the distance behind them. 

“ We have had a good day, Boseplius,” said 
Horatio, with a long sigh of satisfaction. “ We 
are on the road to fortune. To be sure, there 
are little thorns along the way — ” 

“Dogs, for instance — and guns.” 

“Trifles, Boseplius; trifles. Don’t give them 
a second thought. Of course you are only a 
little boy as yet, and will outgrow these fears.” 

“ And learn to climb trees.” 

“ I hope you don’t think I climbed that tree 
out of fear, Boseplius. I merely went up there 
to get a better view of my audience. One should 
always rise above his audience. And now let us 
sing softly together as we go. It will rest us 
after our day of conquest.” 

And touching the strings lightly and singing 
softly together, the friends sought leisurely their 
75 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


evening camp. Here and there a light rustle in 
the bushes showed that the forest people were 
listening, and the leaves of the forest whispered 
in time to their melody. 

76 


THE DANCE OF THE FOREST 

PEOPLE 




CHAPTER IV 


THE DANCE OF THE FOREST PEOPLE 





K--J -4 =- • :! 

“ Oh ! the night was warm and the 
bright, 

And we pitched our camp in the pale 

moon was 

moonlight ; 

hp-'-pf-Vf-srtH 





In the pale moonlight and the green, green shade, 
And we counted up together all the money we 
had made. ” 


T HE little boy jingled the coins in his 
hands, and hummed and sang to the 
Bear’s soft music. Their camp fire 
had died down to a few red embers, and 
the big moon hanging on the tree-tops made 
79 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


all the world white and black, with one bright 
splash in the brook below. They had finished 
their sapper, and Bosephus, with the needle and 
thread given to him by old Mis 1 Todd, had 
patiently mended by the firelight a small rent 
in his trouser leg. Horatio, watching him with 
a grin, had finally remarked : — 

“ You see, Bo, if you wore clothes like mine 
you would n’t have to do that.” 

“ And if the dog that did that had got his 
teeth into your clothes you’d have wished they 
were like mine. Maybe that ’s why you did n’t 
give him a chance.” 

“ Let ’s count the money, Bo.” 

So then they counted up their day’s receipts. 
There was something more than a dollar in all, 
and Horatio was much pleased. 

“ I tell you, Bo,” he said excitedly, “ we \e 
made a fine start. By and by we will earn two 
or three times that much every day, and be able 
to start our bear colony before you know it.” 

80 












































> 














































. 





































































































































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The little boy fondled the coins over and over. 
They were the first he had ever earned. 

“ Ratio,” he said at last, “ don’t you suppose 
when we get a lot of money — a big lot, I mean 
— we might give some to those people I used to 
live with ?” 

Horatio scowled. 

“ I thought you said they did n’t treat you 
well and you had to run away.” 

“ Yes, of course, Ratio ; but then they were 
so poor, and may be they ’d have been better to 
me if I had been able to earn money for them. 
They did take me out of the poorhouse, you 
know, and — ” 

“ And you tried to get back again and got lost 
and fell in with me. Now you are sorry and 
want to go to them, do you ?” and the Bear 
snorted so fiercely that the little boy trembled. 

“ Oh, no ! Not for the world ! I never was 
so happy in all my life, only I just thought — ” 

“ Then don’t think, Bo,” interrupted Horatio, 

83 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


gently. “ You are only a little boy. I will do 
the thinking for this firm. Now for a song, Bo, 
to soothe us.” 

So then they played and sang softly together 
while the moon rose and the fire died out, and 
the boy poured the money from hand to hand, 
lovingly. 

“ Bosephus,” said his companion, as they 
paused, “ were those people you lived with nice 
people ? Nice fat people, I mean ?” 

“Not very. Old Mr. Sugget might have 
been pretty fat if he ’d had more to eat, but Mis’ 
Sugget was n't made to get fat, I know. It 
was n’t her build.” 

“ It was the old man that abused you, was n't 
it ?” 

“ Well, mostly.” 

“ Knocked you about and half starved you ?” 

“ Sometimes, but then — ” 

“ Wait, please. I have an idea. When we 
get our bear colony started we 'll invite this 
84 


THE ARICANSAW BEAR 


Sugget party to visit us. We ’ll feed him — all 
he can eat. By and by, when he gets fat — how 
long do you suppose it will take him to get fat, 
Bo ? Fat enough, I mean ?” 

“ Fat enough for what ?” shivered Bo. 

Horatio drew the horsehair briskly across the 
strings and looked up at the moon. 

“Fat enough to be entertaining,” he grinned, 
and began singing : — 

“ Oh, there was an old man and his ways were 
mighty mean, 

And he was n’t very fat and he was n’t very 
lean, 

Till he went to pay a visit to a colony of bears, 

Then you could n’t find a nicer man than he 
was, anywheres.” 

While the Bear played the little hoy had been 
watching a slim, moving shadow that seemed to 
have drifted out from among the heavier 
shadows into the half-lit open space in front of 
them. As the music ceased, it drifted back again. 
85 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Play some more, Patio,” he whispered. 

Again the Bear played and again the slim 
shadow appeared in the moonlight and presently 
another and another. Some of them were 
slender and graceful ; some of them heavier 
and slower of movement. As the music con- 
tinued they swung into a half circle and drew 
closer. Nowand then the boy caught a glimpse 
of two shining sparks that kept time and move- 
ment with each. He could hardly breathe in 
his excitement. 

“ Look there, Patio,” he whispered. 

Horatio did not stir. 

“Sh-h!” he said, softly. “ My friends — the 
forest people.” 

The Bear slackened the music a little as he 
spoke and the shadows wavered and drew away. # 
Then he livened the strain and they trooped 
forward again eagerly. 

Just then the moon swung clear of the 
thick trees and the dancers were in its full flood. 

86 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The boy watched them with trembling eager- 
ness. 

A tall, cat-like creature, erect and graceful, 
swayed like a phantom in and out among the 
others, and seemed to lead. As it came di- 
rectly in front of the musicians it turned full 
front toward them. It was an immense gray 
panther. 

At any other time Bo would have screamed. 
Now lie was only fascinated. Its step was per- 
fect and its long tail waved behind it, like a 
silver plume, which the others followed. Two 
red foxes kept pace with it. Two gray ones, 
a little to one side, imitated their movements. 
In the background a family of three bears 
danced so awkwardly that Bo was inclined to 
• laugh. 

“ We will teach them to do better than that 
when we get our colony ,” he whispered. 

Horatio nodded without pausing. The 
dancers separated, each group to itself, the gray 
87 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


panther in the foreground. Spellbound, the 
boy watched the beautiful swaying creature. 
He had been taught to fear the “ painter,” as it 
was called in Arkansaw, but he had no fear 
now. He almost felt that he must himself step 
out into that enchanted circle and join in the 
weird dance. 

New arrivals stole constantly out of the dark- 
ness to mingle in the merrymaking. A little 
way apart a group of rabbits skipped wildly 
together, while near them a party of capering 
wolves had forgotten their taste for blood. Two 
plump ’coons and a heavy-bodied ’possum, after 
trying in vain to keep up with the others, were 
content to sit side by side and look on. Other 
friends, some of whom the boy did not know, 
slipped out into the magic circle, and, after 
watching the others for a moment, leaped madly 
into the revel. The instinct of the old days had 
claimed them when the wild beasts of the forest 
and the wood nymphs trod measures to the 
88 







THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


pipes of Pan. The boy leaned close to the 
player. 

“ The rest of it !” he whispered. “ Play the 
rest of it !” 

“I am afraid. They have never heard it 
before.” 

“Play it! Play it!” commanded Bo, ex- 
citedly. 

There was a short, sharp pause at the end of 
the next bar, then a sudden wild dash into the 
second half of the tune. The prancing ani- 
mals stopped as if by magic. For an instant 
they stood motionless, staring with eyes like 
coals. Then came a great rush forward, the 
gray panther at the head. The boy saw them 
coming, but could not move. 

“ Sing !” shouted Horatio ; “ sing !” 

For a second the words refused to come. 
Then they flooded forth in the moonlight. Bo 
could sing, and he had never sung as he did 
now. 

9i 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



“Oh, our singing, yes our singing, all our friends 
to us ’t is bringing, 

For it sets the woods to ringing, and the forest 
people know 


lip 

That we do not mean to harm them in their 
dancing, nor alarm them — 

We are seeking but to charm them with the 
sounds of long ago.” 

At the first notes of the boy's clear voice the 
animals hesitated ; then they crept up slowly 
and gathered about to listen. They did not 
dance to this new strain. Perhaps they wanted 
to learn it first. Bo sang on and on. The listen- 
ing audience never moved. Then Horatio 
played very softly, and the singer lowered his 
voice until it became like a far off echo. When 
Bo sang like this he often closed his eyes. He 
did so now. 



92 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The music sank lower and lower, until it died 
away in a whisper. The boy ceased singing and 
opening his eyes gazed about him. Here and 
there he imagined he heard a slight rustle in 
the leaves, but the gray panther was gone. The 
frisking rabbits and the capering wolves had 
vanished. The red and gray foxes, the awkward 
bears and that rest of that frolicking throng 
had melted back into the shadows. So far as 
he could peer into the dim forest he was alone 
with his faithful friend. 

93 
























































































































































































































































































































































































GOOD-BYE TO ARKANSAW 






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CHAPTER V 


GOOD-BYE TO ARKANSAW 

‘ ‘ Oh, the wind blows cold and the wind blows raw, 
When the night comes on in the Arkansaw — 

Yes, the wind blows cold and the snow will fall, 
And Bosephus and Horatio must travel through 
it all ” 

T HE little boy’s voice quavered as he 
sang, and his teeth chattered. It had 
been more than two months since he 
started on his travels with Horatio, and the 
October nights, even in southern Arkansaw, 
were beginning to be chilly. The night before 
he had in some way got separated from his 
friend’s warm furry coat and woke shivering. 
He kindled a fire now, singing as he worked, 
97 


7 . — Arkansaw Bear 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


while Horatio touched the chords of his violin 
pensively. He did not feel the cold. Nature 
was providing him with his winter furs. 

“ Bo,” he said presently, “ you ’ll have to 
have some heavier clothes. Either that or 
we ’ll have to go farther South. As for me, 
you know, I could go to sleep in a hollow tree 
and not mind the winter, but you could n’t 
do it, and I don’t intend to, either, this year ; 
we ’re making too much money for that.” 

Bo laughed in spite of the cold and jingled 
his pockets. They were more than half full of 
coin, and he had a good roll of bills in his 
jacket besides. 

“ No,” he said ; “ we are getting along too 
well. We ’ll be rich by spring if we keep right 
on. I ’m thinking, though, that we ’ll never 
be able to get South fast enough if we walk.” 

“ Look here, Bo ; you ’re not thinking about 
putting me on that cyclone thing they call a 
train, are you ?” 


98 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Well, not exactly ; but yesterday, where 
we performed, I heard a fellow say that there 
was a river right close here, and steamboats. 
You would n’t mind a steamboat, would you, 
Ratio ?” 

“ Of course not. I don’t mind anything. 
I ’ve always wanted to ride on one of those 
trains, too, only I knew the people would be 
frightened at me, and as for a steamboat, why, 
if I should meet a steamboat coming down the 
road — ” 

“ But steamboats don’t come down the roads, 
Ratio ; they go on the water.” 

“ Water ! Water that you drink, and drown 
things in ?” 

“ Of course ! And if the boat goes down 
we ’ll be drowned, too.” 

Horatio struck a few notes on the violin 
before replying. 

“ Bo,” he said, presently, “you ’re a friend 
of mine, are n’t you ? A true friend ?” 

99 


L.ofC. 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Yes, Ratio ; you know I am.” 

“ Well, then, don’t you go on one of those 
boats. It would grieve me terribly if any- 
thing should happen to you. I might not be 
able to save you, Bo, and then think how lonely 
I should be.” And Horatio put one paw to his 
eyes and sobbed. 

“ Oh, pshaw, Ratio ! AVhy, I can swim like 
everything. I ’m not afraid.” 

“ But you could n’t save us both, Bo — I 
mean, we both could n’t save the fiddle — it 
would get wet. Think — think of the fiddle, 
Bo!” 

The fire was burning brightly by this time 
and the little boy was getting warm. He 
laughed and rubbed his hands and began 
to sing : — 

“ Oh, we’re going down the river on a great big 
boat, 

And Horatio’s so excited he can hardly play a 
note, 


ioo 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


For he never liked the water and he never learned 
to swim, 

And he thinks if he goes sailing now his chances 
will be slim.” 

Horatio stopped short and snorted angrily. 

“ I want you to understand/’ he said, sharply, 
“that I ’in not afraid of anything. You ’ll 
please remember that night when the forest 
people danced and you thought your time had 
come, how I saved you by making you sing. 
There’s nothing I fear. Why, if” — 

But what Horatio was about to say will never 
be known, for at that moment there came such 
a frightful noise as neither of them had ever 
heard before. It came from everywhere at 
once, and seemed to fill all the sky and set 
the earth to trembling. It was followed by two 
or three fierce snorts and a dazzling gleam of 
light through the trees. The little boy was 
startled, and as for the Bear, he gave one wild 
look and fled. In his fright he did not notice 
10 1 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


a small shrub, and, tripping over it, he fell 
headlong into a clump of briars, where he lay, 
groaning dismally that he was killed and that 
the world was coming to an end. 

Suddenly Bosephus gave a shout of laughter. 

“ Get up, Ratio, ” he called. “ It ’s our steam- 
boat. We ’re right near the river and did n’t 
know it. They ’re landing, too, and we can go 
right aboard.” 

The groaning ceased and there was a move- 
ment among the briars. 

Presently Horatio crept out, very much crest- 
fallen, and picked up the violin, which, in his 
haste, he had dropped. 

“ Bo,” he said, sheepishly, “ I never told you 
about it before, but I am subject to fits. I had 
one just then. They come on suddenly that 
way. All my family have them and act 
strangely at times. I ’m sure you don’t think 
for a moment that I was frightened just now.” 

“ Oh, no ; of course not. You merely picked 


102 



103 



THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


out that briar patch as a good place to have a 
fit in. Do you always think the world’s coming 
to an end when you are taken that way ?” 

“ We ’ll go right aboard, Bo ; you are a little 
timid, no doubt, so I ’ll lead the way.” And 
Horatio stepped out briskly towards the lights 
and voices and the landing steamer. 

A few steps brought them out to the river 
bank and a full view of the boat that had crept 
silently around a bend to the woodyard, where 
it was halting to take on fuel. The gang-plank 
had not been pushed out to the bank as yet, but 
a white ray of light shot from a small window 
to the dark shore and looked exactly like a 
narrow board. The boy and the Bear were both 
deceived by it, and Horatio in his eagerness to 
show his bravery did not pause to investigate. 

“ Take the fiddle, Bo,” he said, loftily, “ and 
I ’ll show you how to get on a boat. You should 
always be brave, Bosephus.” 

Bosephus took the instrument, and Horatio, 

105 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


with arms extended as a balance, stepped 
straight out into nothing and vanished. There 
was a sudden splash, a growl, a scrambling 
sound in the shallow water and Horatio’s head 
appeared above the bank. Bosephus, at first 
frightened, was now doubled with laughter. 

“ Oh, Ratio,” he gasped, 1 “ how funny of you 
to try to walk on a moonbeam !” 

Horatio shook himself and sniffed angrily. 
A wide gang-plank was now being lowered from 
the boat, and as it touched the bank the boy 
stepped quickly aboard, followed by the wet, 
shambling Bear. 

“Oh, there was an Old Bear on a dark, dark 
night, 

Who tried to walk on a beam of light.” 
sang Bo, as he crossed the plank, 

‘ ‘ But the beam would n’t hold and the Bear 
broke through, 

And now Horatio follows, as Horatio ought to 
do.” 

106 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Hello !” called a voice. “ Where did you 
come from ?” 

Bo looked up and saw a brawny man with a 
group of wondering negroes behind him. 

“ We are traveling/’ said Bo, “ and we want 
to go down the river. We can pay our way and 
will make music for you, too.” 

“ Good boy,” said the mate. “ Go right up 
and report to the clerk, then come back down 
here, and after we get this wood loaded we ’ll give 
you some supper and you can give us a show.” 

On the upper deck the few passengers gath- 
ered around and made much of the arrivals. 
All asked questions at once, and Bo answered 
as best he could. Horatio kept silent — he never 
talked except when he was alone with Bo. The 
boy kept his hand on the Bear’s head, and when 
the boat backed away and puffed down stream 
he felt his big friend tremble, but a little later, 
when they had had a good supper, Ratio’s fear 
passed off, and on the lower deck, where all 
107 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


hands collected, the friends gave an entertain- 
ment that not only won for them free passage 
down the river, but a good collection besides. 



“THE NEGROES PATTED AND DANCED CRAZILY.” 


It was far in the night when the performance 
ended. The officers, passengers, and crew kept 
calling for more, and the travelers were anxious 

108 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


to please them. The negroes went wild over 
the music, and patted and danced crazily when- 
ever Horatio played. Finally Bo sang a good- 
night song : — 



“ Now, we ’ve had a lot of music, and w r e ’ve had 
some supper, too, 

And we ’re sailing down the river in a little 
steatn canoe, 



And we love to be obliging with our music, but 
it seems 


That we ought to go a-sailing to the land of 
pleasant dreams. 



“ And I must not fail to mention we enjoy your 
kind attention, 

And the favors you have shown to us have 
filled us with delight, 

109 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



And to-morrow we will play for you and sing 
our songs so gay for you, 


But now you will excuse us if we say — good 
—night.” 

Bosephus and Horatio were both offered state-- 
rooms on the upper deck, but Horatio preferred 
to sleep outside, and the little boy said he would 
sleep there also. Horatio sat up for some mo- 
ments after Bo had stretched himself to rest, 
looking at the dark wooded banks and the star- 
light on the water behind them. 

“ Bo,” he said, at last, “ we are going to see 
the world now, sure enough.” 

“ Yes, Ratio,” was the sleepy answer. 

“ Bo, do you suppose our camp-fire is still 
burning back yonder ?” 

No answer. 

“ I hate to leave old Arkansaw, don’t you, 
Bo ?” 

But the little boy was in the land of dreams. 


no 


AN EXCITING RACE 


















CHAPTER VI 


AN EXCITING RACE 

“ Sailing down the river so early in the morn, 
Sailing down the river so early in the morn, 
Sailing down the river so early in the morn, 

Never was so happy since the day that I was 
born.” 

T HE boat on which Horatio and Bosephus 
had taken their passage made no land- 
ings during the night, and the little 
boy and the big Bear slept soundly on the 
deck together. Bather too soundly, as will 
be seen later. At daybreak the next morning 
Bosephus was wide awake, singing softly and 
watching through the mist the queer forms of 
the cypress trees, with the long Spanish moss 
swinging from the limbs. Horatio, hearing the 

113 


8. — Arkansaw Bear 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


singing, rubbed his eyes and sat up. He had 
never been so far South before, so the scenery 
was new to both of them, and when they came 
to open spaces and saw that the shores were only 
a few inches higher than the river, and that 
fields of waving green came right to the water’s 
edge, they were both pleased and surprised at 
this new world. The climate had changed, too, 
and the air was warm and springlike. 

“ I tell you, Bo,” said Horatio, grandly, 
“ there ’s nothing like travel. You Te a lucky 
boy, Bo, to fall in with me. Why, the way 
you ’ve come out in the last few months is 
wonderful. Of course, there is a good deal of 
room yet for improvement, and there are still 
some things that you are rather timid of, but 
when I remember how you looked the first 
minute I saw you, and then to see the sociable 
way you sit up and talk to me now, you really 
don’t seem like the same boy, Bosephus, you 
really don’t.” 

1 14 




“THE LITTLE BOY AND THE BIG BEAR SLEPT 


> i 


115 


SOUNDLY, 




















































































£ 


































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The little boy leaned up close to his com- 
panion. 

“ Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo,” 

he sang softly, remembering their first meeting. 

“ Went out into the woods when the moon was 
low,” 

added the Bear, strumming lightly the strings 
of the violin. 

“ And he met an Old Bear that was hungry for a 
snack, 

And the folks are still awaiting for Bosephus to 
come back,” 

they continued together in a half whisper. 

“ Ratio,” said the little boy, confidentially, 
“ did you really intend to — to have me — you 
know, Ratio — for — for supper until I taught you 
the tune ? Did you, Ratio ?” 

Horatio gazed away across a broad cane field, 
where the first streak of sunrise was beginning 
to show. 

ii 7 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


‘ ‘ For the boy became the teacher of the kind and 
gentle creature 

Who could play upon the fiddle in a very 
skilful way,” 

lie sang dreamily, and then both together once 
more : — 

“Now he’ll never, never leave him, and he’ll 
never, never grieve him, 

And we ’re singing here together at the break 
— of — day.” 

“ This is very pleasant traveling,” commented 
Horatio, thoughtfully. “ It beats walking, at 
least for speed and comfort. Of course, there 
are a number of places we cannot reach by 
boat/’ he added, regretfully. 

“ Not in Southern Louisiana, Batio. I’ve 
heard that there ’s a regular tangle of rivers and 
bayous all over the country, and that boats go 
everywhere.” 

Horatio looked pleased. 

“ Are n’t you glad now, Bo,” he said, proudly, 
118 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ that I proposed this boat business ? I have 
always wanted to travel this way. I was afraid 
at first that you might not take to it very well, 
and when that whistle blew last night I could 
see that you were frightened. It was too bad 
that I should have had a fit just then, or I 
might have calmed you. You saw how anxious I 
was to go aboard. Of course, in being over-brave 
I made a slight mistake. I am always that way. 
All my family are. One really ought to be less 
reckless about some things, but somehow none 
of my family ever knew what fear was. We — ” 
But just then the boat concluded to land, and 
the morning stillness was torn into shreds by 
its frightful whistle. Horatio threw up his 
paws and fell backward on the deck, where he 
lay claw'ing the air wildly. Then he stuffed 
his paws into his ears and howled as he kicked 
with his hind feet. Bo stood over him and 
shouted that there was no danger, but his voice 
made no sound in that awful thunder. All at 
119 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


once Horatio sprang up and jammed liis bead 
under Bo’s arm, trembling like a jellyfish. Then 
the noise stopped, and with one or two more 
hoarse shouts ceased entirely. 

“ It ’s all right, Ratio, come out !” said Bo, 
trying to stop laughing. 

Horatio felt of his ears a moment to see that 
they were still there, while he looked skittishly 
in the direction of the dreadful whistle and 
started violently at the quick snorts of the 
escaping steam. 

“ Bo,” he said, faintly, “ do all boats do that ?” 

“ Oh, yes ! Some worse than others. This 
one is n’t very bad.” 

“ I ’m sorry, Bo, for it is a great drawback 
to travel where one is subject to fits as I am. 
It seems to bring them on. And it is not kind 
of you to laugh at my affliction, either, Bose- 
plius,” he added, for Bo had dropped down on the 
deck, where he was rolling and holding his sides. 

All at once the boy lay perfectly still. Then 


120 



121 





THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


he sprang up with every bit of laugh gone out 
of his face. His left hand grasped the outside 
of his jacket, while with his right hand he 
dived down into the inside pocket like mad. 
The Bear watched him anxiously. 

“ What is it, Bo ? Have you got one, too ?” 
he asked. 

“ Horatio !” gasped the boy. “ Our money ! 
It ’s gone !” 

“ Gone ! Gone ! Where ?” 

“ Stolen. Some of those niggers did it while 
we were asleep !” 

The bear reflected a moment. Then he said 
thoughtfully : 

“ Do you suppose, Bo, it was that nice fat 
one ?” 

“ I should n’t wonder a bit. I saw him 
w r atch every penny I took in last night.” 

Horatio licked out his tongue eagerly. 

“ Could I have him if it was ?” he asked, 
hungrily. 


123 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Have him ! How ?” said Bo. Then he 
shuddered. “ Oh ! no, not that way — of course 
not. But I ’ll tell you, Ratio,” he added, 
“ we T1 make him believe that you can, and 
frighten him into giving up the money.” 

Horatio frowned. 

“ I don’t like make-believes,” he grumbled. 
“ Can’t we let the money go this time and not 
have any make-believe?” 

“ Not much — we want that money right now, 
before the boat lands ; then we ’ll go ashore and 
get out of such a crowd. Come, Ratio.” 

No one was stirring on the upper deck as 
yet, but the crew was collected below, where 
the second mate was shouting orders as the boat 
swung slowly into the bank. The boy and 
Bear dashed down the stairs. 

“ Wait!” shouted Bo to the officer. “ Some- 
body on this boat last night stole our money, 
and I want my Bear to find him. It won’t 
take but a minute, for he can tell a thief at 
124 




THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


sight when he ’s mad and hungry, and he ’s 
mad now, and hungry for dark meat ” The 
boy looked straight into the crowd of negroes, 
while the Bear growled fiercely and fixed his 
eye on the fat darky. 

The crew fell back and the fat darky with a 
howl started to run. 

“ That ’s the one ! That ’s the thief !” shouted 
Bo, and with a snarl Horatio bounded away in 
pursuit. Down the narrow gangway to the 
stern of the boat, then in a circle around a lot 
of cotton, they ran like mad, the Bear getting 
closer to the negro every minute. Then back 
again to the bow in a straight stretch, the thief 
blue with fright and Horatio’s eyes shining. 
The rest of the crew looked on and cheered. 
Suddenly, as the fat darky passed Bo, he jerked 
a sack from his pocket and flung it behind him. 

“ Dar ’s yo’ money ! Dar ’s yo’ money !” he 
shouted. “ Call off yo’ B’ar !” 

But that was not so easy. Boseplius shouted 
127 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


frantically at Horatio, but lie did not seem to 
hear. His blood was up, and his taste for dark 
meat was stronger than his love of money. As 
the two came clattering around the second time 
he was so close to his prey that with a quick 
swipe he got quite a piece of his shirt. With a 
wild yell the fat fugitive leaped over into the 
river and struck out for shore. 

Horatio paused. His half open jaws were 
dripping and his eyes red and fiery with dis- 
appointment. Bo went up to him gently. 

“ Come, Ratio,” he whispered. 

The Bear paid no heed. He was watching 
his escaped prey, who had reached the shore 
and was disappearing in a great canefield. 

“ Come !” Bo whispered again. “ We ’ll go 
ashore, too.” 

Horatio wheeled eagerly. The gang-plank 
was being lowered, and he hurried Bo out on it, 
so that when it touched the bank he was all 
ready to give chase again. 

128 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ No, wait ; some music first/’ said Bo. “ I 
have thought of some new lines for the second 
part of the tune.” 


For a moment Horatio hesitated. Then the ' 
temptation of the music was stronger even than 



“THE FAT FUGITIVE LEAPED INTO THE RIVER.” 


his appetite, and, throwing his violin into posi- 
tion, he began to play. The passengers, roused 
by the excitement, had gathered on the upper 
deck. The crew coming ashore below paused 
to listen. 


9 . — Arkansuw Bear 


129 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



“ Oh ! there was a fat darky with an appetite for 
wealth, 


And the only way to get it was to capture it by 
stealth, 



But when it came to keep it, his chances were 
so small, 

He concluded that he really did n’t care for it at 

all. 



For we placed him and we faced him, and my 
bear Horatio chased him — 


In a manner most surprising he pursued him 
to and fro — 



And we hope we do not grieve you, but we feel 
that we must leave you, 


For the Southern sun is rising, and we ’re 
bound — to — go. ” 


130 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The crew cheered and the passengers on the 
upper deck shouted and waved their handker- 
chiefs. 

“ Don’t go !” they called. “ Don’t leave us !” 
But the friends turned their faces to the East 
and set out on a broad white road that led away 
to the sunrise. 

131 


























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HORATIO’S MOONLIGHT 
ADVENTURE 






CHAPTER VII 


Horatio's moonlight adventure 



“ Rooster in de chicken coop crowin’ foh day, 
Horses in de stable goin’ ‘ Nay, nay, nay I’ 



Ducks in de yard goin’ ‘ Quack, quack, quack !’ 
Guineas in de tree tops goin’ Rack-pot-rack ! ’ ” 


D URING the two weeks since they had 
come to the land of sugar-cane Horatio 
and Bosephus had learned some of the 
old negro songs of Louisiana, and sang them to 
their own music. They were doing so now as 
they marched along the bank of a quiet bayou, 
135 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


where the blue grass came to the water’s edge 
tand the long Spanish moss from big live oak 
trees swung down twenty feet or more till it 
almost touched the water. They had had a good 
day and were going to camp. 

“ Bo,” said the Bear presently, “we are doing 
well. We are making money, Bo.” 

“ Fifty dollars since we left the boat,” said 
the little boy. 

“ These fat babies — little darky babies — are 
very — amusing, too, Bosephus ; don’t you think 
so ?” Horatio added, nodding in the direction of 
some they were just then passing. 

“ I notice that you think so,” said Bo, dryly. 
“ If you ’ll take my advice, though, you won’t 
show any special fondness for them. People 
might not understand your ways, you know, 
and besides,” he added, with a grin, “I ’ve 
heard say these darkies down here are mighty 
fond of bear meat, and there ’s such a lot of 
. them — ” 


136 


i. '\T-' v ' '-4- 
54 ■ ~ 



.W. 


THESE LITTLE DARKY BABIES ARE VERY — AMUSING. 


137 









THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Don't mention it, Bo ; I never dreamed of 
such a thing as you are hinting at.” 

Horatio drew his bow hastily across the strings 
and began singing — 



“ Keemo, kimo, kilgo, kayro, 

Horses in de stable goin ’ 1 Nay, nay, nay !’ 



Rop strop, periwinkle, little yaller nigger, 

Cum a rop strop bottle till the break of day.” 


The sun was just setting behind a large, 
white, old-fashioned sugar house, where the 
bayou turned, and made it look like an ancient 
castle. The little boy sighed. He had never 
believed that any country could be so beautiful 
as this, and he wanted to stay in it forever. 
Horatio liked it, too. They had played and 
danced at many of the sugar houses, and the 
i39 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bear liad been given, everywhere, all the 
waste sugar he could eat. He was fond of 
the green cane, also, and was nearly always 
chewing a piece when they were not busy with 
a j)erformance. But the big fellow had never 
quite overcome his old savage nature, and the 
race on the steamboat had roused it more 
fiercely than ever. The fat pickaninnies were 
a constant temptation to him, and it had taken 
all Bo’s watchfulness to keep him out of dread- 
ful mischief. Bo never feared for himself. 
Horatio loved him and had even become afraid 
of him. It was for Horatio that he feared, for 
he knew that death would be sure and swift if 
one of the pickaninnies was even so much as 
scratched, not to mention anything worse that 
might happen. Again the little boy sighed as 
they turned into a clean, grassy place and made 
ready for camp. 

Long after Bosephus was asleep Horatio sat 
by the dying camp fire, thinking. By and by 
140 



































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


he rose and walked out to the bank of the bayou 
and looked toward the sugar house that lay 
white in the moonlight, half a mile away. 
Then he went back to where Bo was asleep and 
picked up the violin. Then he laid it down 
again, as though he had changed his mind, and 
slipped away through the shadows in the direc- 
tion of the old sugar house. He said to him- 
self that, as they were going in that direction 
and would stop there next day, he might as well 
see how the road went and what kind of a place 
it was. He did not own, even to himself, that 
it was the negro cabins and fat pickaninnies 
that were in his mind, and that down in his 
heart was a wicked and savage purpose. Every 
little way he paused and seemed about to turn 
back, but he kept on. By and by he drew near 
the sugar house and saw the double row of white- 
washed huts in the moonlight. It was later 
than he had supposed and the crowds of little 
darkies that were usually playing outside had 
i43 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


gone to bed. He sighed and was about to turn 
back when suddenly he saw something capering 
about near the shed of the sugar house. He 
slipped up nearer and a fierce light came into 
his eyes. It was a little negro boy doing a hoo- 
doo dance in the moonlight. 

Suddenly the little fellow turned and saw the 
Bear glaring at him. Horatio was between him 
and the cabins. The boy gave one wild shriek 
and dashed through a small open door that led 
into the blackness of the sugar house, the Bear 
following close behind. It was one of the 
old Creole sugar houses where the syrup is 
poured out into shallow open vessels to cool 
and harden. The little darkey knew his way 
and Horatio did n’t. He stumbled and fell, 
and growled and tried to follow the flying 
shadow that was skipping and leaping and 
begging, “ Oh, Mars Debbil ! Oh, please, 
Mars Debbil, lenime go dis time, an’ I nevah 
do so no mo’. Nevah do no mo’ hoo-doo, 
144 







c > 

i' <- 

“HORATIO WAS BETWEEN HIM AND THE CABINS.” 


^An\o^V?rj5cc ~PS~ 


lO. — Arkansaw Bear 


145 



THE ARICANSAW BEAR 


Mars Debbil ; oh, please, Mars Debbil, lemme 

go !” 

But Horatio was getting closer and closer, and 
in another moment would seize him. Then, 
suddenly, something happened. The Bear 
stumbled and, half falling, stepped into one of 
the big shallow wooden vessels. He felt his 
hind feet break through something like crusted 
ice and sink a foot or more into a heavy, thick 
substance below. When he tried to lift them 
they only sank deeper. Then he knew what 
was the matter. He had stepped into a mass of 
hardening sugar and was a prisoner ! His fore- 
feet were free, but he dared not struggle with 
them for fear of getting them fast, too. The 
little darkey, who thought the devil had stopped 
to rest, was huddled together in a corner, not 
daring to move. Horatio remembered Bo sleep- 
ing safely in their camp and began to weep for 
his own wickedness. In the morning men 
would come with axes and guns. Why had he 
i47 


THE ARK A NS AW BEAR 


not heeded Bo ? Half seated on the crusted 
sugar he gave himself up to sorrow and de- 
spair. 

& * * * * 

It was early morning when Bo awoke. He 
was surprised to see that Horatio was not beside 
him, for the boy was usually first awake. He 
called loudly. Then, as the moments passed 
and the Bear did not come, he grew uneasy. 
Suddenly a terrible suspicion flashed over him. 
He sprang to his feet and seizing the violin that 
lay beside him, set forth on a run in the direc- 
tion of the white sugar house. He knew 
Horatio would go there because it was nearest, 
and he felt certain that something dreadful had 
happened. The incident of the day before 
made him almost sure of Horatio’s errand, and 
he feared the worst. No doubt they had caught 
and killed him by this time, and what would he 
do now without his faithful friend ? 

He ran faster and faster. As he drew near 
148 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


the sugar house he heard a great commotion. 
For a moment he stopped. If Horatio had 
done something terrible and they had caught 
him perhaps it would be dangerous to interfere. 
The next moment he rushed on. Horatio was 
his friend and he would save his life if possible, 

unless He did not think any further, but 

flew on. As he dashed into the cane yard he 
saw crowds gathering and men running with 
axes and clubs. Others had guns and cane 
knives, and all were crowding toward the big 
doors of the sugar house, that were now thrown 
open. Inside he heard shouts, mingled with 
Horatio’s fierce growls. His friend was still 
alive. 

Without pausing, he rushed through the 
doors and saw a circle of negro men gathered 
about the big wooden trough where the Bear, a 
prisoner, was snapping and growling and try- 
ing to get free. The little pickaninny who, in 
spite of his fright, had slept all night in the 
149 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


corner, was there, too, and the men with axes 
and other weapons had entered with Bo. There 
was not a second to be lost. 

“Wait!” screamed Bo, “wait!” And, tear- 
ing through the astonished crowd, he thru&t the 
violin into Horatio’s hands. 

“ Play !” he shouted. “ Play for your worth- 
less life !” 

Horatio did not need to be told again. He 
reached for the violin and bow, and, sitting 
in the now solid sugar, struck the strings 
wildly. 

“ Rooster in de chicken coop, crowin’ foh day, 

Horses in de stable goin ’ 1 Nay, nay, nay,’ 

Ducks in de yard goin’ ‘ Quack, quack, quack ! ’ 
Guineas in de tree tops goin’ 1 Rack-pot-rack !’ ’ 

Horatio fiddled furiously, while Bo shouted 
and sang and the crowd joined in. They all 
knew this song, and as they sang they forgot 
all else. Axes and clubs and guns were 

150 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


dropped as young and old fell into tlie swing 
of the music. 

“ Keemo, kimo, kilgo, kayro ; 

Fleero, fliro, flav-o-ray ; 

Rop strop, periwinkle, little yaller nigger, 

Cum a rop strop bottle till de break — of — day !” 

You could hear the noise for a mile. They 
danced and shouted and sang, and work was 
forgotten. After a long time, when they were 
tired out, Bo took one of the axes and care- 
fully broke the now solid sugar away from 
Batio’s feet and set him free. Then they 
brought water and washed his hind paws, and 
he danced for them. 

After dinner, when the friends started out 
on their journey, the crowd followed them for 
nearly a mile. When all were gone Horatio 
turned to Bo and said : — 

“ I am glad you came just as you did, Bo.” 

“ I should rather think you would be,” said 
Bo, grimly. 

151 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Because/’ continued Horatio, “ if you had n’t 
I might have damaged some of those fellows, 
and I know you would n’t have liked that, 
Bosephus.” 

He looked at the little boy very humbly as 
he said this, expecting a severe lecture. But 
the little boy made no reply, and down in his 
heart the big Bear at that moment made a sol- 
emn and good resolve. 

152 


SWEET AND SOUR 




















* 































CHAPTER VIII 


SWEET AND SOUR 



“ Oh, we ’re down in the land where the jasmine 
blows, 

And the cypress waves and the orange grows, 
















[* 








1 — 


And the song bird nests in the climbing rose — 
And all the girls are beautiful, and milk and 
honey flows.” 


H ORATIO paused in his playing and 
looked at Bosephus, who was ready to 
sing another stanza. 

“ Look here, Bo,” lie said gravely, “ that 
sounds very pretty and may be very good poe- 
i55 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


try and true enough, but I would n’t get to 
singing too much about jasmine and song birds 
and climbing roses if I were you, and especially 
girls. You are only a little boy, and besides, I 
can’t see that there is any difference in girls, 
except that some are plump and some are not, 
and that is n’t any difference to me, now,” and 
the Bear sighed and strummed on his violin 
gently. 

“ Oh, pshaw, Ratio ! There ’s lots of differ- 
ence. Some girls are yellow and sour as a 
lemon, while some are as pink and sweet and 
blooming as a creole rose ” — 

“ Bosephus,” interrupted the Bear gravely, 
“ you ’ve got a touch of the swamp fever. Let 
me see your tongue !” 

Bo stuck out his tongue. 

“ My tongue ’s all right,” he grinned. “ That 
kind of fever ’s in the heart.” 

Horatio looked alarmed. 

“ You must take something for it right away, 
156 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bo,” he declared. “ I can ’t have you singing 
silly songs about jasmine and cypress and girls 
in milk and honey. You know we have n’t 
seen any honey since we left Arkansaw, and 
I ’d travel all the way back there on foot to rob 
one good honey tree. I ’m getting tired of so 
much of this stuff they call sugar and cane and 
the like !” 

“ Why, they have honey here, Ratio, too. I 
have n’t seen any bee trees, but I ’ve seen plenty 
of bees. I suppose they are in hives — boxes 
that people keep for them to live in.” 

“ Where do they have those boxes, Bo ?” 

“ Well, in their yards mostly ; generally out 
by the back fence.” 

“ Could we rob them ?” 

“ Well, I should n’t like to try it.” 

The Bear walked along some distance in 
silence. The boy was also thinking and sing- 
ing softly to himself. He was very happy. 
Presently he looked up and saw just ahead, 
i57 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


in a field near tlie road, a tree loaded with 
oranges. 

“ Look, Ratio !" lie said. “ Don't you wisli 
we had some of those ?” 

The Bear looked up and began to lick out his 
tongue. 

“ Climb over and get some, Bo," he said 
eagerly. 

“ Not much. I have n't forgotten the roast- 
ing ears and the watermelon we got from old 
man Todd in Arkansaw. We might go to the 
house and ask for some." 

“ Nonsense, Boseplius. Watch me!" 

He handed Bo the fiddle, and running lightly 
to the hedge cleared it at a bound. 

“ Fine !" shouted Bo. 

Horatio, without pausing, hurried over to the 
tree. 

“ Funny they should leave those oranges so 
late," thought the little boy as he watched him. 

Swinging himself to the first limb, the Bear 
158 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


shook off a lot of the fine yellow fruit, and 
climbing down, gathered in his arms all he 
could carry. As he did so there came a loud 
barking of dogs, and without looking behind 
him he started to run. He dropped a few of 
the oranges, but kept straight on, the two huge 
dogs that had appeared getting closer and 
closer. As he reached the hedge he once more 
made a grand leap, but the oranges prevented 
him doing so well as before. His foot caught 
in the top branches and he rolled over and over 
in the dusty road, the oranges flying in every 
direction. The dogs behind the hedge barked 
and raged. 

Horatio rose, dusty and panting, but trium- 
phant. 

“ You see, Bo,” he said, “ what it is to be 
brave. You can fill your pockets now with 
these delicious oranges.” 

He picked up one as he spoke, and brushing 
off the dust, bit it in half cheerfully. Then Bo, 
i59 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


who was watching him, saw a strange thing take 
place. The half orange flew out of the Bear’s 
mouth as from a popgun, and his face became 
so distorted that the boy thought his friend was 
haying a spasm. Suddenly he whirled, and 
making a rush at the fallen oranges, began 
to kick them in every direction, coughing and 
spitting every second. The two dogs looking 
over the hedge stopped barking to enjoy the 
fun. One of the oranges rolled to Bo’s feet. 
He picked it up and smelled it. Then rubbing 
it on his coat, he bit into it. It was not a large 
bite, but it was enough. The tears rolled 
from his eyes and every tooth in his head 
jumped. Such a mixture of stinging, sour, and 
bitter he had never dreamed of. It grabbed 
him by the throat and shook him until his 
bones cracked. The top of his head seemed 
coming loose, and his ears fairly snapped. Then 
he realized what Horatio must be suffering, and 
laughed in spite of himself. 

160 





11 . — Arkansaw B^ar 








’ 









■ 
































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ They are mock oranges, Ratio,” he shouted, 
“ and they are mocking us for stealing them !” 

Horatio had seated himself by the road- 
side, and was snorting and clawing at his 
tongue. 

“ I must have some honey, Bo,” he said, “ to 
take away that dreadful taste. You must find 
me some honey, Bo.” 

“You see, Ratio,” said the little boy, “it 
does n’t pay to take things.” 

“ Bosephus,” said the Bear, “ a man who will 
plant a tree like that so near the road deceives 
willfully and should be punished.” 

They walked along slowly, the two dogs bark- 
ing after them from behind the hedge. 

Just beyond the next bend in the road a 
beautiful plantation came into view. They 
turned into the cane yard, and immediately the 
work hands surrounded them. Horatio felt bet- 
ter by this time, and they began a performance. 
First Bo sang, and then Horatio gave a gym- 
163 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


nastic exhibition. Then, at last, Bo sang a 
closing verse as follows : — 



“ Now our little show is ended, and we hope you 
think it splendid, 

And we trust we ’ve not offended or displeased 
you anywhere ; 



You have paid us to be funny, and we thank 
you for the money, 

But I ’d like a little honey for the Old — 
Black — Bear. ” 

Horatio smiled when he heard this, and the 
planter, who was listening, sent one of the serv- 
ants to the house. He came out soon with a 
piece of fresh honey on a plate. He offered it 
to Horatio, who handed Bo the violin, and, seiz- 
ing the plate, swallowed the honey at one gulp. 
This made the crowd shout and laugh, and then 
164 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bo shook hands with the planter and said 
good-bye, and all the darkies came up and 
wanted to shake hands, too. When he had 
shaken hands all around the little boy turned 
to look for Horatio. He was nowhere in sight. 
The others had not noticed him slip away. 

Bo was troubled. When Horatio disappeared 
like that it meant mischief. He had promised 
reform as to pickaninnies, but Bo was never 
quite sure. He was about to ask the people to 
run in every direction in search of his comrade 
when there was a sudden commotion in the back 
door yard, and a moment later a black figure 
dashed through the gate with something under 
its arm. It was Horatio ! The crowd of darkies 
took one look and scattered. The thing under 
Horatio’s arm was a square box-looking affair, 
and out of it was streaming a black, living 
cloud. 

“Bees!” shouted the people as they fled. 
“ Bees ! Bees !” 

165 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bo understood instantly. The taste of honey 
had made Horatio greedy for more. He had 
gone in search of it and returned with hive and 
all. There was a clump of tall weeds just be- 
hind the little boy, and he dropped down into 
them. They hid him from view, and none too 
soon, for the Bear dashed past, snorting and 
striking at the swarm of stingers that not only 
covered him, but fiercely attacked everything in 
sight. Howls began to come from some of the 
hands that had failed to find shelter in time, 
and Bo, peeping out between the weeds, saw half 
a dozen darkies frantically trying to open the 
big door of the sugar-house, which had been 
hastily closed by those within, while the 
angry bees were pelting furiously at the unfor- 
tunates. 

As for Horatio, he was coated with bees that 
were trying to sting through his thick fur. He 
did not mind them at first, but presently they 
began to get near his eyes. With a snarl he 
1 66 




















































































































































































































































































































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


dropped tlie hive and began to paw and strike 
with both hands. Then they swarmed about him 
worse than ever, and, lialf-blinded, he began to 
run around and around, with no regard as to 
direction. Every darky in sight fled like the 
wind. Some of them ran out of the gate and 
down the road, and without seeing them, per- 
haps, the Bear suddenly leaped the fence and 
set out in the same direction. Glancing back, 
they saw him coming, and began to shriek and 
scatter into the fields. 

Bo waited some minutes ; then noticing that 
the maddened insects were no longer buzzing 
viciously over him, he crept out and followed. 
He still held the violin and was glad enough to 
get away from the plantation. The bees had 
followed the fugitive, and the boy kept far 
enough behind to be out of danger. By and by 
lie met bees coming back, but perhaps they 
were tired or thought he belonged to another 
crowd, for they did not molest him. A mile 
169 


# 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


farther on lie found Horatio sitting on the road 
rocking and groaning and throwing dust on 
himself. His eyes and nose were swollen in 
great knots, and his ears were each puffed up 
like little balloons. The bees had left him, but 
his sorrow was at its height. 

“ Hello, Ratio ! Having fun all alone ?” asked 
Bo, as he came up. 

“ Oh, Bo, this has been an awful day !” was 
the wailing reply. “ First those terrible oranges 
and then these millions and millions of murder- 
ous bees. And now I am blind, Bo, and dying. 
Tell me, Bo, how do I look ?” 

“ Oh, you look all right. Your nose looks 
like a big potato and your ears like two little 
ones. I can’t tell you how your eyes are, for 
they don’t show, but your whole skin looks as 
if it had been stuffed full of apples and put on 
in a hurry.” 

“ Bo,” said Horatio, meekly, “ did you bring 
the fiddle?” 

170 




THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“Well, yes; I thought it might happen that 
we ’d need it again.” 

Horatio put out his paw for it. The boy gave 
it to him and he ran the bow gently over the 
strings. 

“ Sing, Bo,” he pleaded. “ Sing that song 
about jasmine and cypress and climbing roses. 
It will soothe me. Sing about girls, too, if 
you want to, but leave out the oranges, Bo, and 
put in something else besides honey in the last 
line.” 

“ Ratio,” said Bo, “ you We got a touch of the 
swamp fever. Let me see your tongue !” 

i73 








IN JAIL AT LAST 






CHAPTER IX 


m JAIL AT LAST 

u Oh, the sky is blue and the sun is high, 

And the days roll ’round, and the weeks go 
by — ” 

B O,” interrupted Horatio, softly, “ what 's 
that over there on the bank that looks 
like a man all in a wad ?” 

The little hoy was singing along 
through the sweet Louisiana afternoon, putting 
into his song whatever came into his head : — 

“ And I turn, and I look, and what do I see ? 
Someone ’s left his bundle by a live 0£(k tree.” 

“ What do you suppose is in that bundle, 
Bo ?” asked the Bear, anxiously. 

177 


12. — Arkansaw Bear 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Oh, I don’t know. Old clothes, from the 
looks of it. The owner is n’t far off. 

“ When a coat and vest and hat, and pair of 
trousers you espy, 

You can bet your bottom dollar there ’s a man 
close by.” 

Horatio looked in every direction. Then he 
walked over to the clothes. 

“ Why,” said Bo, following ; “ I guess some- 
body ’s taking a swim. Come on, Batio. Ile- 
member the honey and the oranges.” 

But the Bear was curious. He picked up the 
hat and set it on his head. Bo laughed lazily. 
Then Horatio laid down his violin and slipped 
one arm into the waistcoat, trying vainly to 
reach with the other. Bo good-naturedly 
helped him. The little boy felt in the humor 
for fun, and Horatio looked too comical. 

“ Better not put on the coat,” said Bo. “ It 
might not be big enough, and if you tore it the 
owner would make us pay for it.” 

178 




1 „ 



^ - 






cT 



179 










































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


But Horatio was excited. 

Hurry, Bo ! Help me on with it. How 
do I look, Bo ? I think I ’ll dress this way 
all the time, hereafter. Is my hat becoming, 
Bo ?” 

“ Oh, there was an Old Bear in a hat and a coat,” 

sang Bo, but he got no further, for suddenly 
close by there was a loud yell, and without 
pausing to look behind Horatio made a wild 
dash in the other direction, followed by the 
little boy. Glancing back as they ran, Bo saw 
that they were pursued by a tall white man. 
He had paused only a second to slip on his 
boots and trousers, and was coming after them 
full speed. In one hand he carried a revolver, 
in the other Horatio’s violin. 

“ Shed ’em !” he shouted. “ Shed them 
clothes or I’ll shoot !” 

“ Shed ’em !” echoed Bo. “ Shed ’em, 
Horatio !” 

181 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The bear slipped off the coat and flung it 
behind him. 

“ Shed ’em !” shouted the man again, and the 
waistcoat followed. 

“ I won’t give up the hat, Bo !” panted 
Horatio. 

But Horatio was mistaken, for that instant 
the world beneath his feet suddenly opened and 
he disappeared. Before the boy could check 
himself he plunged after the Bear, and was 
struggling in the deep waters of a bayou that 
came to a level with the bank and was covered 
thickly and hidden by fallen leaves. Bising to 
the surface he found Horatio clinging to a 
fallen tree, and the man, who had now over- 
taken them, holding out a limb, which the little 
boy gladly seized. The hat had been already 
rescued. 

“ Well, you ’re a nice pair !” said their captor. 
“ To run away with a man’s clothes and then 
go headlong into the bayou and get his hat all 
182 


f 



ii 


SHED THEM CLOTHES 


OR i’ll shoot !’ ” 





















- 




































































- 


































' 












* 



































































































































































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


wet ! I ’in glad you did n’t have that fiddle, or 
you ’d a-ruined it. I ’ve bin wantin’ a good 
fiddle a long time, an’ this here looks like a 
good one. Come out o’ that, now, an’ we’ll 
take a walk up toward the jail. I happen to he 
constable of this here community.” 

Bo groaned as he was dragged to shore. He 
did not mind the wetting, for the weather was 
warm, but now they had lost the violin and 
would be taken to jail. Of course they would 
lose all their money. Perhaps Horatio would 
be killed. The Bear only blinked and shook 
himself when he had been also towed to the 
bank and had scrambled out. 

“ I hope you won’t take us to jail, sir,” said 
Bo. “My Bear was mischievous, but he 
did n’t mean any harm, and I have a little 
money I ’ll give you if you ’ll return us the 
violin and let us go.” 

“You come along with me!” answered the 
sternly. “ It ’ll take more money than 

185 


man, 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


you ’ve got to pay your fine, an’ as fer that 
chap, we don’t want no bears roamin’ loose 
aroun’ here. March on ahead there, an’ don’t 
try none o’ your tricks.” 

The constable cocked his revolver, and boy 
and Bear hurriedly started in the direction of 
the village that showed above the trees about a 
mile further on. 

Bo was afraid to speak to their captor again, 
and as he never talked with Horatio except 
when they were alone, they marched along dis- 
consolately and in silence. Now and then the 
man strummed on the violin and chuckled to 
himself. 

When they got to the village everybody came 
out to look at them. The man called out his 
story as they went along, and the people 
laughed and jeered. Heretofore the friends 
had entered Louisiana villages in triumph. 
Now, for the first time, they came dishonored 
and disgraced. Poor Horatio looked very 
1 86 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


downcast. He knew that lie was to blame for 
it all. 

When they got to the court room they found 
that the Justice of the Peace was away fishing, 
so they were lodged in jail for the night. It was 
only a little one-room affair, with two small 
iron-barred windows, quite high from the 
ground. Boys climbed up and looked through 
these windows and threw stones and coal at 
Horatio, who huddled in a corner. By and by 
the officer came with a plate of supper for Bo. 
He drove the boys away and left the friends 
together. There was no supper for the Bear, 
so the little boy divided with him. 

“ Bo,” said Horatio, tearfully, “ it was my 
fault. They ’ll let you go, and, and — I hope 
they ’ll give you my skin, Bo.” 

Then they went to sleep. 

* * * * * 

Early the next morning there was a crowd 
187 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


around the jail. The Justice had returned and 
the people wanted to see the fun. The friends 
were hustled into court by the constable, the 
crowd stepping back to let Horatio pass. The 
Justice was rather a young man and had a good- 
natured face, which made Bo more hopeful. 
But when they heard the constable make his 
charge against them, both lost heart. They 
were accused of stealing and damages and a lot 
of other things that they could not understand. 
The Justice listened and then turned to the 
prisoners. 

“ What have you to say for yourselves ?” he 
asked, looking straight at Bo. At first the 
little boy tried to speak and could not. The 
court room was still — everyone waiting to hear 
what he was about to say. All at once an idea 
came to him. 

“ Please, sir,” he trembled, “ if you will let 
my Bear have the violin we will plead our case 
together.” 


1 88 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ What violin ? What does the boy mean ?” 
asked the J ustice, turning to the constable. 

“ Oh, an ole fiddle they dropped when they 
took my clothes. I lef ’ it down ’t the house 
this morning.” 

Bo’s heart sank. It was their only chance. 
He was about to give up when suddenly there 
came another gleam of hope, though very faint. 
Wheeling quickly toward the sorrow-stricken 
Bear he shouted : — 

“ Perform for them, Horatio ! Perform !” 

The words acted on Horatio like a shock of 
electricity. He straightened up with a snort 
that caused the crowd to fall back, knocking 
each other over like dominoes. Then he made 
a bound into the open space and stood on his 
head. Then with aspring backward he landed 
on his feet, and waved a bow to the Justice ! 
Another bound and he was walking on his 
hands and then, after another bow to the Court, 
he turned a series of somersaults so rapidly that 
189 


THE ARICANSAW BEAR 


lie looked like a great wheel ! When he landed 
on his feet this time, and bowed once more to 
the Court, the crowd broke out into a mighty 
cheer of applause. 

“ Order !” shouted the Justice. “ Order !” 

It grew still, and the little boy looked at the 
Court anxiously. 

“ Please, your Honor,” he said, humbly, 
“ that ’s our case.” 

“ Case !” roared the Justice. “ Well, I should 
say that was a case of fits and revolution.” 

At this the crowd cheered again until they 
were rapped to order by the Court. 

“ I sentence you,” he said solemnly, and 
looking sternly at Horatio, “to sudden and 
disagreeable death !” 

He paused, and Horatio staggered against Bo, 
who was very pale. 

“ To sudden death,” continued the Court, “ if 
I catch you running off and falling in the water 
with any more of my officers’ clothes. And I 
190 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


now fine you for the first offense, a performance 
on the common for the whole town ! Court is 
adjourned ! Show begins at once ! Constable, 
bring that fiddle !” 

With a wild shout the people poured out- 
side. Many scrambled over each other to get 
near Boseplius and the wonderful Bear, and 
when the violin was brought and the show had 
begun every soul in the village was gathered on 
the common. 

That night, when all was over, the little boy 
and the Bear were the guests of the Justice, who 
owned a fine plantation adjoining the village. 
During the evening he had a long talk with 
Bo, and seemed greatly impressed with the little 
boy’s natural ability and shrewdness. When 
they parted the next morning he said : — 

“ Remember, if you ever feel like giving up 
travel, come back here and I’ll send you to 
school and college and make a man of you.” 

“ I ’ll remember,” said Bo, as they shook 
191 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


hands. A crowd had gathered to see the trav- 
elers off. The constable was among them, and 
as they disappeared around a bend in the road 
he waved and shouted with the rest. 

“ Bosephus,” said Horatio, gravely, “ I hope 
you don’t think of deserting me. Remember 
how many close places I have helped you out 
of. This last one was a little the closest of all, 
Bosephus, and I shudder to think where you 
might have been to-day if it had not been for 
me.” 

“ That ’s so,” said the little boy, solemnly. 
“ I do n’t suppose they ’d have even given me 
your skin, Ratio.” 


192 


AN AFTERNOON’S FISHING 


13. — Arkansazv Bear 



























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CHAPTER X 

AN AFTERNOON’S FISHING 

“ Sitting on a bank where the bullfrogs dream — 
Sitting on the shore of a deep, deep stream — 
Sitting on a log and waiting for a bite — 

Bound to catch our supper, if we fish — all — 
night.” 

T HE little boy was holding a long cane 
pole that he had cut as they came 
along, on the small end of which he 
had fastened a hook and line, baited with a 
lively worm. The Bear was leaning back 

against a tree and watching him lazily. 

“ Bo,” said he, presently, “ I should n’t won- 
der if that singing of yours scared the fish all 
away.” 


195 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ I would n’t say that to you, Ratio. I 
know if you ’d wake up and take the fiddle and 
play some they *d walk right out on the bank.” 

The Bear laughed, sleepily. He was in a 
comfortable position and the warm afternoon 
sun was soothing. He hummed some negro 
lines he had heard : — 

“ When yo’ wan’ to ketch fish yo’ mus’ jes’ set an’ 
wait — 

When yo’ wan’ to ketch fish yo’ mus’ spit on 
yo’ bait — 

When yo’ wan’ to ketch fish yo’ mus’ git across 
de tide, 

Foy dey ’s alw’ys bettah fishin’ on de oth — ah — 
side.” 

“ I should iTt wonder if you were right, 
Ratio,” assented Bo, anxiously. “ It does look 
better over there, only there ’s no way to get 
across except this slippery -looking, rotten old 
log, and I doiTt feel much like trying that.” 

“Walk out on it a little way, Bo,” said 
196 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Horatio, getting interested, “ and throw your 
line over there by that cypress snag. That 
looks like a good place.” 

Bosephus rose cautiously, and, balancing him- 
self with the long cane pole, edged his way a 
few inches at a time toward the middle of the 
stream, pausing every little way to be sure that 
the log showed no sign of yielding. He could 
swim, but he did not wish for a wetting, and be- 
sides there were a good many alligators in these 
Louisiana waters and some very fierce snapping 
turtles. He had heard the negroes say that 
alligators were particularly fond of boys, and 
that snapping turtles never let go till it thun- 
dered. He had no wish to furnish supper for 
an alligator and there were no signs of a thun- 
der storm. Hence he advanced with great 
prudence. When he had nearly reached the 
centre Horatio called to him. 

“ Try it from there, Bo ! Your line ’s long 
enough to reach !” 


197 


THE ARK ANSA W BEAR 


Tlie little boy steadied himself by a limb that 
projected from the log and swung his line in the 
direction the Bear had indicated. Then he 
waited, holding his breath almost, and watch- 
ing his float, which lay silently on the water. 
Horatio was watching, too, with half-closed 
eyes, and now and then giving instructions. 

“ Pull it a little more to the right, Bo — nearer 
that root,” he whispered. 

Bosephus obeyed, but the float still lay 
silently on the water. 

“ Draw it a little toward you, Bo ; sometimes 
when they think it ’s going away they make a 
rush for it.” 

Again the little boy did as directed, but with- 
out result. 

“ Lift out your bait and see if it’s all right. 
Now fling it a little further toward the bank.” 

Bo lifted out the bait, which was still lively 
and untouched, and flung it far over toward the 
other shore. Then he waited in silence once 
198 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


more, but there was no sign of even so much as 
a nibble. 

“ Oh, pshaw, Ratio !” he said at last, impa- 
tiently. “ I don’t believe you know anything 
about fishing. Either that or there are no fish 
in here — one of the two.” 

He had turned his head toward the Bear as 
lie spoke and was not looking at his float. All 
at once the Bear Sat straight uj), pointing at the 
water. 

“ Your cork’s gone !” he shouted. “ You ’ve 
got one ! Pull, Bo, pull !” 

The little boy turned so quickly that he 
almost lost his balance and could not immedi- 
ately obey. Horatio was wild with excite- 
ment. 

“ Why don’t you pull ?” he howled. “ Do 
you expect him to climb up your pole ? Are 
you waiting for him to make his toilet before he 
appears? Well, talk about fishermen !” 

Bosephus was struggling madly to follow in- 
199 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


structions. He was holding to the dead limb 
like grim death and pulling fiercely at the pole 
with one hand. The fish must be a large one, 
for it swung furiously from side to side, but 
could not be brought to the surface. Horatio 
on the bank was still shouting and dancing 
violently. 

“ You ’ll lose him !” he yelled ; “ you ’ll 
never in the world land him that way. You 
ought to go fishing for tin fish in a tub! Just 
let me out there ; I ’ll show you how to fish !” 
and Horatio made a rush toward the log on 
which Bo was standing. 

“ Go back ! Go back !” screamed the little 
boy. “ It won’t hold us both !” But the Bear 
was too much excited by this time to heed any 
caution. He hurried to the centre of the log 
and seizing the pole from Bo’s hand gave a 
fierce pull. The fish swung clear of the water 
and far out on the bank, but the strain on their 
support was too great. There was a loud crack- 


200 



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THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


in g sound, and before they knew what had hap- 
pened both were struggling in the water. 

“ Help ! Help !” howled Horatio. “ I ’m 
drowning !” 

“ Hold to the end of the log !” shouted Bo. 
“ I T1 swim ashore and tow you in with the pole !” 

He struck out as he spoke and in a few 
strokes was near enough to seize some bushes 
that overhung the water. Suddenly he heard 
Horatio give forth a scream so wild that he 
whirled about to look. Then he saw something 
that made him turn cold. In a half circle, a 
few feet away from where Horatio was clinging 
to the end of the broken log for dear life, there 
had risen from the water a number of long, 
black, ugly heads. A drove of alligators ! 

“ Bo ! Bo !” shrieked the wretched Bear. 
“ They ’re after me ! They ’ll eat me alive — 
skin and all ! Save me ! Save me I” 

The little boy swung himself to the shore and 
dashed up the bank. His first thought had 
203 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


been to seize the fishing pole and with it to 
drag Horatio to safety. But at that instant his 
eye fell on the violin. He had learned to play 
very well himself during the last few weeks and 
he remembered the night of the panther dance 
in the Arkansaw woods. He snatched up the 
instrument and struck the bow across the strings. 

“ Sing, Horatio !” he shouted. “ It ’s your 
turn to sing I” and Boseplius broke out into a 
song that after the first line the Bear joined as 
if he never expected to sing again on earth. 



“ Oh, there was an Old Bear went out for a swim, 
And the alligators came just to take a look at 


him, 



And the Bear was glad to see ’em, and he 
wanted them to stay, 

And he sang a song to please ’em so they 
would n’ t go away. ” 

204 







THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


As the music rolled out on the water there 
rose to the surface another half circle of dark 
objects. The Bear shut his eyes and his voice 
grew faint. They were snapping turtles. 

“ Stop, Bo !” he wailed. “ It ’s no use. It 
only brings more of ’em, and new kinds.” 

“ No, no ; go on,” whispered Bo, who had 
crept down quite to the water’s edge. “ Now — 
ready ! sing !” 



‘‘Then ’ti’s ’Gator, Alligator, we expect to see you 
later, 

If you really have to leave us — if you can’t 
remain to tea — 



Then ’tis Turtle, Mr. Turtle, you will notice we 
are fertile, 

In providing entertainment for our com — pa — 
nee.” 


207 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


New arrivals appeared constantly until the 
water and logs and stumps by the water’s edge 
were alive with listening creatures. Still re- 
membering the panther dance the boy called in 
a whisper to Horatio : — 

“ Softly now ; sing it again.” 

They repeated the song, letting their voices 
and music gradually blend into the whispering 
of the trees. Bo sang with closed eyes, but the 
watching Bear saw the listening circle of heads 
sink lower and lower so gently that he could 
not be sure when the water had closed over 
them. From roots and logs and stumps dark 
forms slid noiselessly into the stream and disap- 
peared. The music died away and ceased. 
Horatio looked at the little boy eagerly. 

“ Quick, the pole, Bo,” he called softly. 
“ They ’re all gone.” 

A moment later he was holding on to the cane 
pole with teeth and claws and being towed to 
shore. As he marched up the bank he picked 

208 





“‘SING, HORATIO! IT ’S YOUR TURN TO SING !’ ” 


14. — Arkansan/ Bear 


209 































































THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


up the large fish that was still flopping at the 
end of the line. 

“ Very fine, Boseplius,” he said, holding it 
up. “ You would n’t have had that fish for 
supper if it had n’t been for me, Bosephus.” 

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THE ROAD HOME 




CHAPTER XI 


THE ROAD HOME 

u Going back to Arkansaw as fast as we can go — 

Never mind the winter time — never mind the 
snow, 

For the weather’s not so chilly as the Lou’siana 
law, 

And we ’ll feel a good deal safer in the Ar — kan 
— saw.” 

I T had happened in this way. The after- 
noon before Christmas had come and 
the little boy and the Bear had been talk- 
ing over a Christmas dinner for the next day. 

“ Bosephus,” Horatio had said, “we must 
have something extra. I should like a real 
old-fashioned dinner. One such as I used to 


215 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


have ; but, of course, that is all over now.” 
And there was an untamed, regretful look in his 
eyes. 

“ Ratio,” said Bo, “ we have got a lot of 
money — nearly two hundred dollars. We can 
afford to have something good. I will buy a 
duck and a turkey, and maybe some pies. 
We T1 take a holiday and eat from morning till 
night, if we feel like it.” 

The Bear smiled at this thought and touched 
the strings of the violin. 

“ Oh, we ’ll buy a tender turkey, and we ’ll buy a 
youthful duck, 

And some pies, perhaps, and cookies, and some 
doughnuts, just for luck, 

And we ’ll take our Christmas dinner where the 
balmy breezes stray, 

And we ’ll spread it in the sunshine and we ’ll 
eat — all — day.” 

Suddenly he paused in his singing and list- 
ened. They were coming out into an open 
216 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


space and there was a sound of a voice speak- 
ing. Somebody was talking in a foreign lan- 
guage that Bo did not understand, but the Bear 
trembled with eagerness. 

“ Bo,” he whispered, “ that's Italian. That's 
the way my first teacher talked. The one that 
abused me — and died.” 

The Bear licked out his tongue fiercely at this 
memory and pushed forward into the open, 
the little boy following. As they stepped out 
where they could see, Boseplius uttered an ex- 
clamation and Horatio a snort of surprise. By 
the roadside sat a dark-browed, villainous-look- 
ing Italian, and before him stood a miserable, 
half-starved bear cub, which he was trying to 
teach. He would speak a few words to it and 
then beat it fiercely with a heavy stick. The 
little bear cowered and trembled and could not 
obey. Horatio gave a low, dangerous growl as 
Bo held him back. The Italian turned and saw 
them. 


217 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Wliat are you beating that cub for ?” asked 
Bo, sternly. 

The Italian looked at him evilly. 

“ Maka him grow an’ dance, and playa lid, 
Tika yo’ bear/’ he said, sullenly. “ Soa he maka 
da mun’.” 

“ That won’t do it. You can teach him 
better with kindness. Throw that stick away. 
Are n’t you ashamed of yourself.” 

“ Minda yo’ own biz,” was the insolent 
reply. 

The little boy saw that it would not be safe to 
stay there any longer. The cub was whining 
pitifully and Horatio was becoming furious. 
He turned away, the Bear following reluctantly. 
When they had gone perhaps a half a mile 
Horatio paused. 

“ Let’s camp,” he said. “ This is a nice place 
and I’m tired.” 

Boseplius was tired, too. The day before 
Christmas, with its merry preparation, had been 
218 



“ ‘ MINDA YOUR OWN BIZ.’ ” 


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THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


a big day among the plantations, and the friends 
had reaped a harvest. 

“ All right, Ratio,” he said, and they made 
preparations for the night, though it was still 
quite early. 

“ Bo,” said the Bear, reflectively, “ Christmas 
always reminds me of when I was a little cub 
like that poor little fellow we saw back yonder. 
I was a Christmas present — by accident.” 

“A Christmas present by accident! How 
was that ?” 

“It was this way. I was always brave and 
adventurous, as you know. My folks lived in 
a very large tree and were all asleep for the 
winter except me. I stayed awake so as to run 
away and see the world. Well, I started out 
and I traveled and I traveled. It was all woods 
and I lost my way. By and by I got very tired 
and climbed up into a thick evergreen tree to 
rest. I suppose I went to sleep and some men 
who were out hunting for a Christmas tree must 


221 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


have picked out mine and tied the limbs together 
tight with cords and cut it down. Then I sup- 
pose they must have carried me home and set 
the tree up in its place and untied the cords, 
for the first I knew I was tumbling out on to a 
carpet in a big room, and a lot of children were 
screaming and running in every direction. I 
was bigger and some fatter than that cub we 
saw with the Italian — poor little fellow ! 

“ I ’d like to talk to that villain about five 
minutes alone,” continued Horatio, grimly. 
I ’m sure I could interest him. I ’d tell him 
about the man that used to beat me, and I 
might give him an imitation of what happened 
to him,” and the big fellow rose and walked 
back and forth in excitement. 

“But go on with your story, Ratio; what 
happened to you after you fell out of the Christ- 
mas tree ?” 

“ Oh ! the children tamed me and fed me till 
I got so big they were afraid of me, and then I 


222 


THE AR1CANSAW BEAR 


ate up some young pigs and a calf and went 
away.” 

“ You ran away, you mean. What happened 
then ?” 

“ Well, I went quite a distance and fell in 
with a circus. I learned to dance there and 
stayed with them a while. But one day the 
young ibex came in to see me and they could n’t 
find anything of him after that except his horns, 
and seemed suspicious of me, so I went away 
again.” 

“ Oh, Ratio !” 

“ Yes ; I traveled and changed about a good 
deal till by and by I fell in with the Italian, 
who promised to teach me to play the violin, 
and he did teach me some, as you know, but he 
was n’t kind to me, so I — I wore mourning for 
him a while and went away again. Then I met 
up with you, and you taught me the second 
part of our tune, and we went into partnership 
and I reformed, and we ’ve been together ever 
223 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


since. We’ve been in some pretty close places 
together, Bosepnus, but I ’ve always managed to 
pull us through safely, and you have behaved 
very nobly, too, at times, Bosephus — very nobly, 
indeed.” 

“ Are you sure you have reformed, Horatio !” 

Horatio swung the violin to his shoulder and 
drew the bow across the strings. Then he sang 
softly : — 



“Oh, there ’s some folks say a nigger won’t 
steal, 

But I caught one in my corn-fiel’. 



gfc-rryf r-r-T 




tt*:* 

F— 

5^ 




And there ’s other folks say that a Bear will 
tame, 

But I would n’t trust him with my — ” 


he hesitated, and then, with a final flourish, 

“with my money all the same.” 

224 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


The little boy laughed. The Bear seemed to 
have forgotten the cruel Italian, and was in his 
usual good humor. 

“ I think I can trust you, Horatio ; I ’in not 
a bit afraid of you.” 

“ Bo,” said Ratio, speaking suddenly, “ speak- 
ing of Christmas trees, we ought to have one. I 
saw a beautiful one up the stream yonder. I 
think I T1 go and get it, if you T1 look after the 
supper while I ’m gone.” 

“ Why, yes, Horatio, only don't be long 
about it.” 

Horatio struck the violin with a long, vigor- 
ous sweep. He was very happy, and the pros- 
pect of a good dinner made him musical. 



“Oh, we ’ll have a tree for Christmas in this 
Louisiana isthmus, 

Where the orange trees are waving and the 
jasmines are in bloom ; 

225 


15. — Arkansaw Pear 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



And I’ll have a Christmas dinner, if I don’t I 
am a sinner, 

And I ’ll eat it if it sends me to my doom — 
doom — doom. ’ 

Bo laughed again. He had never seen Hora- 
tio in a better humor. 

“ If you eat too much pie it may send you to 
your doom — doom — doom,” lie said. “ Hurry 
back, now, with that tree. You can pull it up 
by the roots and we ’ll plant it again here. Then 
it will keep right on growing.” 

The Bear set out up the stream and the boy 
busied himself with building a fire and taking 
out of a sack a lot of food that had been given 
them by the planters during the afternoon. He 
spread this on the leaves and moss, and then sat 
down and gazed into the bright blaze. It was 
pleasant and warm, and he was quite tired. 
After a while he wondered sleepily why the 
226 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Bear did n’t come back, and concluded he was 
having a hard time pulling up the tree. Then 
he began thinking of all the adventures they 
had had together and of the little cub bear and 
the cruel Italian. 

“ I was tempted to let Horatio at him,” he 
thought. “ A man like that should be beaten 
until he could n’t stand. That poor little 
creature ! How wistfully he looked at us. He 
kept whining — perhaps he was telling Ratio 
something.” 

The little boy’s head nodded forward now 
and then, and presently he slept. He slept 
soundly and the moments flew by unheeded. 
He was having a long dream about old 
man Todd and the girls and the two candy 
hearts, when suddenly there arose close at 
hand such a commotion, such a mingling 
of excited language, fierce snarls, and crash- 
ing of brush that the little boy leaped to his 
feet wildly. 


227 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Ratio !” lie shouted. “ Ratio! where are 
you ?” 

The only answer was the redoubled fury of 
the furious uproar, which Bo now located at the 
edge of the road but a few feet away. He tore 
through the brush hastily in that direction. As 
he reached the spot the turmoil ceased, and he 
heard the sound of running feet. Dashing 
through into the road he beheld a strange sight. 
A half-naked man was disappearing over the 
hill just beyond, and Horatio, holding some 
rags of clothing in one hand and the paw of the 
little bear in the other, was looking after him 
hungrily, as if about to pursue. Before him lay 
the Christmas tree badly broken and bruised. 

“ Ratio !” exclaimed Bo. “ What have you 
been doing ?” 

The Bear looked at Bo sheepishly. 

“I went for the Christmas tree,” he said, 
meekly, “and just as I was coming back the 
Italian man came along, and he was beating this 
228 



\ -g* K ' ^ » 

- — 

<< A HALF NAKED MAN WAS DISAPPEARING OVER THE HILL. 

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THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


little chap, and so I tried the Christmas tree on 
him to see how he liked it. Then we got into 
an argument, and when he went away he left 
the cub with us and didn’t take all of his 
clothing.” 

The little boy reflected a moment. 

“ I hope, Horatio,” he said, gravely, “ you 
did not mean to break your agreement about — 
you know — about dinners.” 

“ I did n’t, Bo ; honest, I did n’t. I would n’t 
touch that fellow if I was starving. But I did 
pretty nearly break his neck, Bo, and I ’m glad 
of it!” 

“ Ratio,” said Bo, solemnly, “ it ’s very wrong, 
I suppose ; very wrong, indeed ; but I’m glad, 
too. Only we ’ve got to postpone that Christ- 
mas dinner. That fellow will be back here to- 
night with officers, and we ’ve had all the law 
we want. We start for Arkansaw in five min- 
utes. A bite of supper and then right about ! 
ready ! march !” 


231 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


And this was the reason Horatio and Bose- 
phus and the little cub bear were traveling 
swiftly northward in spite of the winter weather 
that was not yet over. The cub was small and 
weak and Horatio, who loved him and some- 
times called him “ litttle brother,” often carried 
him. They gave no performances, but only 
jmshed forward, mile after mile, chanting sol- 
emnly — 

“ Going back to Arkansaw as fast as we can go — 

Never mind the winter time and never mind the 
snow, 

For the weather ’s not so chilly as the Lou’siana 
law, 

And we ’ll feel a good deal safer in the Ar — kan — 
saw.” 


232 



“ ‘ RIGHT ABOUT ! READY ! MARCH !’ ” 


233 


























THE BEAR COLONY AT LAST. 
THE PARTING OF BOSEPHUS 
AND HORATIO 






CHAPTER XII 


THE BEAR COLONY AT LAST. THE PARTING OF 
BOSEPHUS AND HORATIO 

“ Oh, the wind blows fair and the snow is gone 
In the Arkansaw when the spring comes on. 

Oh, the sun shines warm and the wind blows 
fair, 

For the boy and the cub and the Old — Black 
Bear.” 

S O sang Bosephus and Horatio as they sat 
side by side in the doorway of a deserted 
lumberman’s cabin in the depths of an 
Arkansaw forest. The cub rescued from the 
brutal Italian and brought with them on their 
hasty journey out of Louisiana stood a few feet 
away, watching them intently. Now and then 
237 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


he made an awkward attempt at dancing, 
which caused Bosephus and Horatio to stop 
their music and laugh. He had grown fat and 
saucy with good treatment, and seemed to enjoy 
the amusement he caused. At a little distance 
behind him, some seated and some standing, 
and all enjoying the entertainment, were seven 
other bears of various sizes. The colony so long 
planned by Horatio and Bosephus was formed. 

The long journey out of Louisiana had been 
made rapidly and with no delays. Though 
midwinter when begun, the weather had been 
beautiful at the start, and there had been few 
storms and but little cold since. The cub had 
gradually told his story to Horatio, who loved 
him and continued to call him, affectionately, 
“ little brother.” He had been captured in a 
very deep woods, he said, by hunters, who sold 
him to the Italian. He did not know where 
these woods were, but as the friends crossed the 
Louisiana line and entered lower Arkansaw he 
238 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


grew more and more excited every day, for he 
declared these were so like his native woods that 
he could almost hear his mother’s voice croon- 
ing the evening lullaby. Soon after they came 
one evening upon a deserted lumberman’s camp' 
and took possession of the one cabin that still 
remained. It was a good shelter and there was 
a stream with fine fish in it close at hand. But 
when the friends awoke next morning the little 
bear was gone. 

They were very sorry, for they had grown 
much attached to the little chap, and he had 
seemed to be fond of them also. It was very 
lonely in the deep forest without him. Horatio 
sighed. 

“ He did n’t appreciate us, Bo,” he said, 
sadly. “ He’s gone back to be a wild bear. 
He never got the taste of men — tastes, I mean, 
and I suppose these woods made him homesick. 
They are like my old woods, too, and I get 
homesick sometimes — even now.” 


239 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


Then the boy and the Bear went to the brook 
to fish, and the day passed gloomily. 

But that night, when Bo had built a fire in 
the big fireplace which almost filled one end of 
the cabin, and was cooking the fish, there came 
a muffled scratching sound at the door. Hora- 
tio sprang to his feet instantly. 

“ That ’s Cub !” he said, excitedly. 

The boy ran to the door and opened it. Sure 
enough, the little cub stood before him, and out 
of the darkness behind gleamed seven other 
pairs of eyes. The boy was brave, but as he 
saw that row of fiery orbs he felt his flesh creep 
and his hair began to prickle. 

“ Horatio !” he called, softly, “ come quick.” 

The Bear was already by his side, and a mo- 
ment later, with the cub, stepped out into the 
night. Then Bosephus heard low growls fol- 
lowed by a strange commotion, which he at first 
took to be the sound of fighting. Suddenly 
Horatio ran to him in great excitement. 

240 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“Bo, Bo!” he exclaimed, “it’s my family ! 
and, oli, Bosephus, it ’s Cub’s family, too ! 
We ’re really brothers, and we did n’t know it !” 
Then he ran back into the dark and presently 
returned with the cub and the seven other 
bears, following. The newcomers stared and 
blinked at the little boy as they entered the 
lighted cabin, and then withdrew to a darker 
corner, where they sat silently looking at every- 
thing that passed, like strangers from the coun- 
try. The cub sat with them and whispered 
softly, in the bear tongue, and Horatio now and 
then went over, too, and no doubt told them 
marvelous tales of his strange adventures. Late 
that night all lay down to sleep — the little boy 
in the arms of his faithful friend. 

And so the Bear Colony had begun, even 
sooner than Bo and Ratio had expected, and 
they had given up all notion of traveling any 
farther. The lumber camp was deserted for 
good by the r woodcutters, for the largest trees 

16 . — Arka"saw Bear 2^1 


l 


THE ARKANSAVV BEAR 


had been cut out and taken away long before. 
The cabin was headquarters — Bosephus was 
president, Horatio prime minister, and the cub, 
because of his adventures and what he had 
already learned, was chief assistant. Early 
spring was upon the land, and the woods were 
beginning to be sweet with song and blossom. 
Bosephus was almost afraid at first that, with 
the native woods and the renewal of home ties, 
Horatio might return more or less to his savage 
instincts, but he became gentler and more do- 
cile than ever. His place as prime minister 
and chief instructor made him realize his ad- 
vancement and the importance of good be- 
havior. He was grave and dignified, and about 
the fire in the evening played the violin with an 
air of skill and superiority that was very im- 
pressive. Bosephus at first enjoyed it all 
immensely. The bears were obedient and sub- 
missive, and were gradually learning to under- 
stand his language. He had more money than 
242 



“ BOSEPHUS AT FIRST ENJOYED IT IMMENSELY.” 

243 






THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


he would ever need and was lord of all lie sur- 
veyed. 

But gradually there came a change. He 
grew tired of seeing only the black faces and 
shining eyes of his subjects, and of hearing 
only the singing of bees and birds. At first he 
did not realize what was the matter. Then it 
came to him at last that this life of the forest 
was palling upon him and that, like the cub, he 
yearned for his own kind — the faces of men. 

One morning he divided up the money into 
two equal parts and slipped out to where 
Horatio was sunning himself and playing softly 
before the cabin. 

“ Horatio,” he said tenderly, “ I have divided 
up the money. Here is your half. You have 
been the best friend I ever had and it breaks 
my heart to leave you, but I can 9 t live away 
from my own race any longer. I am going 
back to Louisiana, to the planter who told me 
to come back and he would send me to school 
245 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


and college and make a man of me,” and then 
the little boy suddenly broke down and fell 
weeping into his companion’s arms. 

For some moments Horatio could not speak. 
Then he spoke, sobbing between every word. 

“ Bo — Bo — you — you ’re — not going to — to 
leave me! Oh, Bo!” and the poor Bear gave 
way completely and wept on the little boy’s 
shoulder. They were all alone, as the others 
had gone out together for a walk. At last 
Horatio put the boy gently from him and took 
up his violin. He began to play very softly 
and sang in a breaking voice : — 

A ‘ Oh, he ’s going away to leave me, to the Lou’- 
siana shore. 

And I ’ll never see my darling, my Bosephus, 
any more ; 

He ’s divided up the money, and he ’s going 
far away, 

And my poor old heart is breaking, but he — 
will — not — stay. 

246 


















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\ 



THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


We have battled with the weather — we have 
faced the world together — 

Never caring why or whether — never minding 
when or where — 

But he says we now must sever — happy days 
are done forever, 

For Bosephus and the fiddle and the Old — 
Black — Bear !” 

An hour later Bo was wending his way south- 
ward through the sweet spring woods alone. 
In his inner breast pocket was stored every 
dollar the friends had earned together. 

“ I will never need it now, Bo,” Horatio had 
said at parting, “and you will need a great 
many times as much. Take it and sometimes 
think of your far-off, faithful Ratio.” And then, 
after one long embrace, they had parted. And 
now the little boy was trying to keep up cour- 
age to carry out what he had undertaken. At 
every turn in the path he was tempted to return 
and throw himself in Horatio’s arms. But he 
pressed on, hoping to arrive at some sort of 
249 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


habitation for the night, which he did not iike 
to pass alone in the woods. 

“ Poor old Patio,” he thought. “ He will be 
happier with his own people after awhile. And 
perhaps he will really civilize them.” He 
turned and cast one long look in the direction 
of the colony, which he could no longer see. 
Then facing about again he hurried forward. 
About a mile further on he paused at a little 
brook for a drink. He was bending over the 
water when he heard a sudden crashing in the 
bushes behind him. He started up instantly 
and seized a heavy stick that lay close at hand. 
Nearer and nearer came the tearing through 
the brush, like some heavy animal in fierce 
chase. The boy stepped out of the path to let 
the creature pass, and then, all at once, he gave 
a cry of joy and surprise. Headlong out of the 
bushes, stumbling and rolling at his feet, with 
tears streaming from his eyes and violin under 
his arm, was Horatio. 


250 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 


“ Bo, Bo !” he cried. “ I ’in going with you. 
That kind planter will give me a place to 
stay, I know, and maybe if he sends you to 
college he ’ll let me go, too. I could play for 
the college boys, Bo, and help pay your way. 
Don’t send me back, Bo !” 

Bo embraced him silently. 

“ Why, of course not, Batio,” he said at last, 
“ but I thought you wanted to have a colony.” 

“ I did, Bo, but I have turned it over to Cub. 
He can take care of it. Like you, Bo, I have 
been civilized too long to live away from men ! 
And, besides, Bo, you need me to protect you.” 
Horatio recovered his dignity at this point and 
continued, gravely, “ You are brave and noble, 
Bosephus, but you need some one near you who 
is ever ready to face any danger. Let us sing 
now, Bosephus, as we travel onward.” 

And with a joyful scrape of the strings and 
a sweet burst of melody the friends set their 
faces once more to the South. 


251 


THE ARKANSAW BEAR 



“ Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo, 
Went out into the woods when the moon was 
low, 



And he met an Old Bear who was hungry for a 
snack, 


And the folks are still awaiting for Bosephus to 
come back. 



For the boy became the teacher of this kind 
and gentle creature, 

Who was faithful in his friendship and was 
watchful in his care. 





-EQ 1 

_ L_._ 




tLL? — 







And they traveled on forever and they ’ll never, 
never sever, 


Bosephus and the fiddle and the Old— Black- 
Bear. ” 


252 




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